


Cold Ice, Warm Feelings

by WeirdItalianPlumber



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: AU, F/M, I'll update tags as I go, M/M, Rated M for language, Slow Burn, based off a tumblr prompt, figure skater/hockey player
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:28:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22668562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdItalianPlumber/pseuds/WeirdItalianPlumber
Summary: Slowburn au. Dee Reynolds is a figure skater. Charlie Kelly is a hockey player. They see each other at the ice rink every Saturday, but there's something drawing them to make these meetings a little more frequent.
Relationships: Charlie Kelly & Mac McDonald, Charlie Kelly/Dee Reynolds, Dee Reynolds & Dennis Reynolds, Mac McDonald/Rex (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought about this a long time ago, but finally had enough ideas to actually flesh it out. I don't know how old they are in this, but younger than canon. I'm thinking between 18-21, but we'll see what works. This was based off an otp prompt on tumblr. I'm replacing Dee's wanting to be an actress with her wanting to be a figure skater, and expanding on Charlie playing pee-wee hockey.
> 
> Yes, the title sucks. But it's so bad, it's good. Right?
> 
> No beta, all mistakes are 100% my own.

Holy shit, 6 A.M. is early. But here Charlie is, in the back bleachers at Tarken Ice Rink, watching the figure skaters. Not in a creepy way, though. He’s not here to ogle women in tight dresses. No, he’s here two hours before practice in the freezing building to watch _one_ woman. She’s easy to pick out from the group, even at a distance. Her blonde hair and lanky frame make her stand out. She happens to be in the air right now, spinning like the flying saucer toy he had as a kid, then gracefully landing and shouting out a triumphant “fuck yes!” 

He can’t help but grin with her, though Charlie doubts she knows he’s there. 

“Great job, Dee. Beautiful landing,” the coach says, “But language, please.” 

“I’ve been watching you, you know,” a too close voice says. Charlie jumps and turns to see a guy about his age observing him. The man continues, with a knowing, yet creepy smile, “Watching these girls, in barely anything. It’s a nice way to start the day,” he continues with a wink. 

Charlie recoils slightly, nose crinkling, “No, it’s not like that,” he says, looking back at the ice. It’s not entirely true. Yeah, he’s sort of here for this one girl, but not in a creepy way. He just likes looking at her and listening to her. “I have practice soon. I just got here early,” Charlie points to a stuffed and worn duffel bag. 

The man snaps into another personality, “Right. It’s my job to be here. See that gangly one down there? With the disgusting language- totally unladylike. I’m her manager.” 

Unsure how to respond, Charlie is saved when a whistle sounds below, “Good work, team,” the coach announces, “See you next practice.” 

The team splits up, chattering and gathering their things. The girl, Dee it seems, catches sight of the guy with Charlie and even from a distance, Charlie reads her irritated reaction. She stomps up the steps, and Charlie notices his heartrate increase. Whether it’s from the idea that he might actually interact with the woman he’s admired from afar, or the fact that her pissed expression makes it look like she could easily kick both their asses. 

She stops at the top, and up-close Charlie notices how blue her eyes look, with her hair pulled tightly back and the group’s proximity to the overhead lights. Before Charlie can even think about saying hi, she growls “Goddammit, Dennis. I don’t want you here.” 

There’s a moment with a brief shift in the air and Charlie can sense it’s time to get out of there. The pair are blocking the aisle, so Charlie grabs his bag and awkwardly, to his surprising embarrassment, climbs over the bleachers until he can shimmy into the aisle and get the hell out of there. 

He gets to the benches and slips on his skates before heading out to the ice for a few laps before his teammates arrive. Had he looked back up where he’d been sitting, he’d have seen Dee observing him. 

***** 

After practice, Charlie goes straight to the gym. Coach is always getting on his ass on the importance of fitness. He usually stops home to drop his stuff off and grab a bowl or three of Coco Puffs first, lounging on the couch and watching some afternoon court show on the grainy television. After some refueling and lawyering- the parties always insist on representing themselves, but it doesn't stop Charlie from telling his untrained legal knowledge to the tv. 

But today, he rushes straight to the gym. Upon arrival, he swipes his membership card and looks at the receptionist- bouncer, as the man calls himself- with wide eyes. It says enough. “My client is here,” he tells the woman in the other seat, as he stands and follows Charlie into the gym. 

“You are not a trainer, Mac,” she yells at the back of his head, but it doesn’t stop him. 

“Sorry, I can’t hear you, Carmen,” he shouts back as he hurries a little faster. 

They reach the weight machines and sit at ones neighboring each other. Mac immediately sets the weights at more than he can realistically lift and starts on his biceps. But Charlie sort of lounges in his seat as he always does, occasionally extending the bars as he talks. “Dude. I got news,” he says. 

Mac catches on to the excitement and urgency in his voice, “Oh, shit. Did you finally bang that chick? The one in the concession stand you’re obsessed with?” 

“No,” Charlie answers, almost confused at Mac not being a mind reader. “She’s not there on Saturday mornings. There’s like no one to sell stuff to.” 

“Then what’s the news?” 

The image of Dee skates through his mind. Blonde hair flowing behind her, long legs graceful, body covered only by a short, glittery black dress. He smiles, “I- uh...” he starts, and then stops finding it hard to articulate, even to just himself. “I don’t know,” he finally says. 

Mac looks disappointed, then mad. “Then what’s the news?” he asks. “You know what, never mind,” he says impatiently, “It’s my turn now. You know Rex, that beefcake? He was on that billboard that one time?” Charlie nods, hoping it’ll stop his buddy from yammering on about the man. “Well, he was in here today and you know what he said to me?” Mac stares at him expectantly, excitement spilling over. Charlie can barely shake his head no, before Mac is talking again. “What’s up, Mac? Isn’t that great!? He remembered my name.” 

“That’s great, bro,” Charlie tells him, and he means it. Sure, he’s happy Mac is happy, but more importantly he’s happy that he won't have to painfully watch his friend fight for this Rex dude's attention.

This visit was supposed to help him; it’s their thing, Charlie will go on and on about Concession Stand Girl and Mac will wait quietly, albeit impatiently, to talk about Rex. But instead of clarity, this conversation only seems to confuse him more. Why can’t he find the words to talk about the girl at the ice rink? 

****** 

“Deandra, what’s the gossip, girl?” Artemis asks, pulling Dee from her thoughts. 

“Hmmm?” Dee looks up at her friend sat in the chair across from her, as they're sat in her living room. 

“You’re clearly not listening to my fascinating story. So what’s up? Get some good dick last night? Or is your brother being an asshole? He is _fine_ , but needs to take that ego down a few pegs.” 

“Neither,” Dee answers, ignoring the comment about her brother’s supposed attractiveness; Artemis has practically no standards. “Dennis is being a dick, but he always is. Still seems to think he’s my manager, no matter how many times I tell him he’s not.” She sighs. Maybe saying it out loud will help. “There’s this guy who was watching me this morning, at practice.” 

Artemis looks concerned. “You want me to take care of him for you?” she asks. It’s hard to tell if she’s offering to off the guy or bang him. It’s not the first time she’s offered to “fuck the crazy” out of someone- Dee’s brother included. 

Dee shakes her head. It’s something she can’t express, it’s a feeling, deep down and as confusing as it is natural. “No, it’s nothing like that. He’s on the team after us. Hockey, I think.” He’s too small and strange to be a danger. And she knows she’s not pretty enough to catch his attention over the other girls. “Nah, he was probably just waiting on the ice. It’s nothing.” Dee tries to push the thought out of her mind. She briefly wonders if he’ll be there next week. It’s not like she’s going to look for him or anything. 

xxxx

It's not working in notes but this is what Charlie was comparing Dee's spinning to. It's hard to find a universal word for it. You squeeze the little trigger and the thing flies in the air and spins.  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Dee think about each other, but don't want to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter Two. (I'm still reading that in a BoJack voice.)
> 
> Nothing much happens, but the ball is rolling. Dee and Charlie interact, Mac might be getting somewhere with Rex, Dennis is there.

After the weird incident last week, Charlie shows up to the rink on time. Well, five minutes late technically. A combination of missing the bus and hoping to avoid the girl, giving her time to get out of there. However, things don’t go as planned. Charlie is just rounding the corner leading to the final hallway when he crashes into someone lighter than him, nearly knocking them over. On instinct, he reaches out, steadying the person. 

Instead of a _thank you_ , they say, “Watch out! Have some consideration.” 

It’s the skating girl. _Dee_ , Charlie silently corrects himself. Also, on instinct, he argues right back. 

“Maybe you should, because people are late sometimes.” 

“Huh. So, you can’t read a clock or know directions. You stick to the right side of a hallway.” 

“That doesn’t make sense. We have different rights.” 

She blinks, “ _What?_ ” 

“I don’t have time to explain science to you,” Charlie sounds exasperated. 

“Whatever,” she says, shouldering past him. 

\------- 

“What are you doing?” Dennis demands as he enters the apartment. 

“What the hell’s it look like?” Dee responds through a mouthful of ice-cream. 

Dennis doesn’t comment on how gross she is, but instead responds, “It looks like you’re getting fat. _That’s_ what it looks like!” 

Dee scoffs. “I burnt like a thousand calories this morning. I’ll be fine,” she turns back to tv. 

“I’m trying to help your career, Dee. But you’re never going to get sponsors if you can’t fit in their clothes. Lord knows you’re already too gangly.” He moves to block the tv. 

"Where have you been, anyway?” she asks, catching sight of his too-fitted navy suit. 

“I was helping Dad.” 

Dee snorts, “Bullshit. You don’t care about charity. You’re using him like you’re using me.” 

“You seem to be the one into charity, sis,” Dennis says in that tone that makes him oh-so-punchable, “You slumming it with that hockey player.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dee replies, stiffly. It’s not a lie- she's barely talked to him. 

“I think you do,” Dennis says as he walks away. 

_Ugh, men_. _Idiots._ She’s definitely not into him, he’s short and weird and schreechy- not her type. Dee pushes the thought out of her head to focus on the cheesy romance movie in front of her. Though she can’t help but also think about how solid he was bumping into, and his instinct to catch her. 

\---- 

“I don’t know, man, she’s kind of a bitch,” Charlie says. “I thought she was badass before. All tough and shit.” 

Charlie takes a swig from his beer as he chats with Frank; that might be the best part of the job, is the free beer. His friendship with the man almost 30 years his senior is another perk. Charlie swishes the mop around the scuffed floor. He really doesn’t have to clean at all. Frank doesn’t care- seems to enjoy filth, and he’s the owner of the bar. But as much as Charlie neglects his own apartment, he takes pride in keeping the bar clean. 

“The ice skater one? Don’t those girls got no tits?” Frank asks. 

“It’s not like that,” Charlie explains. 

"You gotta stop with this romance crap. Get yourself a good whore. Less drama,” Frank advises, in a fatherly tone. Then, almost as an afterthought, adds, “Downside is you gotta wrap it up. You never know what kinda diseases these broads got. You don’t want The Clap, kid.” 

This is like with Mac. He and Frank seem like the only two people in the world who get Charlie, and they’re not doing that right now; in fact, they’re doing the opposite. 

Charlie nods then disappears to give the bathroom a good scrub down, where he can take some time to think about his new situation. The strong chemical odor definitely helps, too. “It’s not like that” he told Frank. But Charlie isn’t sure what it’s like. Everything is about sex with the guy. It’s not that Charlie doesn’t appreciate the female form, but it’s not the only thing he thinks about. 

Like Concession Stand Girl. He enjoys the way her sweaters hug her breasts and the way her shirts ride up just a little when she reaches for the high shelves. But there’s other things, too- the way her cheeks get all rosy in the cool air, and how her eyes shine when she talks to kids. When Charlie thinks of their time together, he imagines them snuggled up together, drinking hot chocolate and watching tv- maybe one of those movies where the girl and guy fall in love. 

But this new girl is confusing. When he thinks of her, Charlie thinks of her long legs and the slight curve of her hips. In their imaginary time together they’re out on the ice, gliding and laughing; he’s only seen her scowl so far, but Charlie can bet she’s got a nice smile. And, the guys on the team are more into the fighting aspect of the sport, it could even be fun to have a little skating competition. 

\---- 

Charlie gets home from work at night to catch his roommate swishing and kicking around the small room, making what he calls karate noises. “Oh, hey, Charlie,” he greets happily. 

“Hey, Mac,” Charlie responds, removing his green jacket and tossing it to the side. 

Mac looks at him with an almost signature look, both begging and excitement. “So, I was thinking. Rex is a sports guy, right? Maybe you could teach me a little hockey-,” he poorly imitates swinging a stick, “Y’know, help me impress him with my moves.” 

“You can’t even skate,” Charlie reminds him. He manages to keep a straight face, despite the mental image of Mac falling on his face the last time he tried to learn. 

“You can teach me,” Mac reasons. 

_What the hell_. It could distract him from thinking about Dee, and more time at the rink could mean more time with Concession Girl. Plus, he could use a good laugh. “Yeah, dude, sure.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to work it in more later, but Frank owns Paddy's where Charlie is the janitor/ his buddy. Bruce is the twins' dad- he's nice but never around. I feel you should know that :)
> 
> Sorry if it's too ooc- I want them to still be the Sunny characters we love, but need them to be a little different since their whole lives/environments are different
> 
> Planned next chapter- Dee goes out drinking with her team, but someone invited the hockey guys too *gasp*


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac gets some skating lessons. Dee and Charlie interact for realsies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my style is not consistent, but I'm just going with what feels right per scene

The day of Mac’s first lesson arrives and Charlie is awoken at 6:30 AM to the sound of his roommate preparing. Mac is grunting and loudly breathing as he does pushups on the floor; it’s very similar to his karate sounds, but louder and more labored. 

Charlie groans loudly to convey his annoyance, and dramatically covers his face with his pillow. 

Mac doesn’t catch on, and seems happy to see his new teacher awake. “Mornin’, bud,” he greets cheerfully. 

“Why are you up?” Charlie mumbles into his pillow. 

“It’s training day,” Mac announces. 

The sound of a glass clinking alerts Charlie enough to peek out of his little cocoon, in time to see Mac in their makeshift kitchen mixing several raw eggs in a glass before promptly downing the whole thing. 

**** 

They arrive at the rink and Charlie is immediately energized by that electric charge in the air. He’s grateful to find the ice fairly empty, and quickly laces his skates then patiently waits for Mac to lace his. Being one of Charlie’s old pairs he dug out of a pile in the apartment, they aren’t great, but good enough he decides. He shoots out onto the ice like he always does, the cold air brushing his face and the world a momentary blur. He skids to a halt and is followed closely by, a less graceful, Mac. 

Once he gets his bearings, Mac is eager to get started. “So, when do I learn a sweet slapshot?” he asks, imitating said action and nearly falling over. 

“You gotta learn the basics first,” Charlie explains. They’ve been friends for over a decade- they're practically brothers at this point, and Charlie loves him. But, Mac can still be annoying as shit. 

“The basics aren’t gonna impress Rex. That’s what my strength is for,” Mac flexes. 

“Then you’re going to fall on your face like a jackass,” Charlie says, patience fading. He watches Mac wobble on the skates, nearly falling several times. A spiteful part of him wants to see Mac embarrass himself, just to learn a lesson. 

“Fine,” Mac dramatically sighs like a petulant child, “Let’s do it your way.” 

Charlie grabs Mac’s elbow, helping him balance, and pulling him along. Mac’s frantic attempts to keep from falling nearly pull Charlie over a few times, but years of hockey have made him sturdy. They’ve made it almost halfway around the ice when he hears a laugh and looks at the source of the sound. Dee is watching them, looking amused. She’s in leggings and a hoodie and seems to have stopped her routine to watch. 

Mac follows Charlie’s eyeline, “Bitch,” he mumbles. Charlie knows he’s said it before, but there’s something about Mac’s tone that he doesn’t like. 

* 

Their lessons continue over the next few days, and they always seem to be there at the same time Dee is. One interaction consists of Dee screeching at them to _watch out, dipshits_ , when Mac slaps a particularly forceful, and poorly aimed, puck across the ice; another time Charlie gives her a small wave when they lock eyes, but neither says anything. There was another time when Mac caught Charlie staring at her. He’s leaning against the rails lining the rink when Mac sneaks up on him. 

Charlie’s in awe of the way she lifts a long leg so high while spinning in a tight circle. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Mac asks. 

Charlie startles slightly, his concentration disrupted. He nods towards Dee, answering Mac’s question. 

“She looks like a bird,” Mac observes. 

_More like a swan_ , Charlie thinks, all elegant and graceful. And tough, too. 

\------------- 

“We’re going out for drinks tonight,” Ingrid tells Dee later that same week, as they finish practice, “You in?” 

A drink would be great; she’s barely been anywhere but the rink and her apartment in the past month. “Yeah” 

“Great,” she says cheerily. “Sudz- 9:30. Oh, and some of the hockey guys will be there, too!” 

Dee freezes. Drinking is supposed to distract her from a certain hockey player, and this just might be having the opposite effect. 

\------------ 

Dee arrives at the bar that night; it’s loud and brightly lit and absolutely not her scene. She’d much prefer a dark nightclub or even an empty little dive bar. Her group automatically head to the bar, ordering drinks as colorful as their surroundings that take forever to make. She orders a simple beer and slips away from the crowd. Dee spots Charlie at a small table with a beer; surprisingly, he’s not as rowdy as the other guys. She approaches him, “I’m surprised you found your way here.” 

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asks, tilting his head. 

Dee’s hit with a strange wave of embarrassment. _Why does she remember their interaction better than he does?_ “It was a joke,” she says lamely, “Because, the hallway...” She sips her beer, looking anywhere but him. 

“Oh,” he says. “Well, it wasn’t very funny,” Charlie helpfully critiques. 

"It wasn’t supposed to be _funny,_ it’s _clever,_ ” Dee clarifies. Charlie just shrugs, not as invested. 

“Why aren’t you over there manning it up?” she asks out of curiosity, glancing at his teammates flirting with a group of girls. 

He shrugs dismissively. "It’s not really my thing. And I already have a girl in my life.” 

Dee feels her heart drop, just a little; she didn't know he had a girlfriend. He continues, “I don’t really like this place, anyway. It’s too bright and loud.” 

"I know,” Dee agrees. “What is this place? It’s like some bad sitcom in here.” 

He nods, apparently excited to have someone agree with him. He’s just opening his mouth to say something else when they’re interrupted. 

"C’mon,” Dee hears seconds before someone grabs her arm. A group from her team appears out of nowhere, “Let’s go dance.” 

They pull her away, and Dee disappears into the crowd before she can do anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
> 
> Something feels off to me on this, but I can't figure out what, so this is what you got. sorry


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Dee have a small conversation and Dee's worries are lessened, we learn a little about Dennis, Mac visits Charlie at work, and Charlie gains some worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this took forever, but here it is! I'm at a major point in school right now so that's consuming almost all my time. But things should chill some after April 3rd. This one was a little tricky, particularly the dialogue, and what to do with Mac. Still not loving his scene, it's pretty pointless, but sometimes things are just fillers *insert turtle in space pic*  
> Warning for mild homophobic content by Frank, but it's mild I promise.

Dee enters the rink,shelling out money to the ticket jockey and ignoring her directions on the building. _Pffft,_ Dee knows this place better than this bitch. She pushes her way through the crowd climbing down the stairs to the rink, taking a seat behind the glass. It’s mostly a bunch of middle-aged fat men, who probably got winded finding their seat, but will inevitably act like they could play the game better. 

After their interaction a few days ago, Dee’s even more curious about this man. She glances around before the game, looking for his girlfriend. There are some girls scattered around, but none seem like Charlie’s type- not that she would know, but it’s hard to imagine him with any of them. Maybe she’s not even here, too prissy to come watch him. _Bitch._ Or maybe that’s not what he meant at all. _Oh God, what if he means his mother_? Dee’s thrown from her thoughts when the national anthem starts playing; she follows the tradition and returns to her seat hyperaware and almost jumpy as the home team enters the arena. The helmets make it hard to tell them apart, but she can almost bet the smallest one is him. 

* 

Charlie slaps the puck, and watches it glide across the ice and time seems to both fast forward and freeze at the same time. It slides right past the goaltender and hits the back of the net. His teammates swarm him in congratulations as most of the crowd erupts. Over all of the chaos, he hears a high pitched cheer followed by some insults at the other team, mostly in creative combinations of curse words. He looks to see where the loud person is and catches sight of Dee, in her oversized skate-team jacket and a sky-blue beanie. She looks happy, smiling and bright-eyed and enjoying the show. She even looks impressed. 

* 

After the game Dee goes to the concession stand for some tea. She’d love some hot chocolate, but between drinking the other night and an upcoming competition, she really can’t afford the calories. 

A girl about her age with short brown hair greets her. She’s a little annoying, but nice enough. “I see you around here sometimes. You’re a skater, right?” 

Dee doesn’t recognize her. “Yeah.” 

“That’s cool. I’d freeze out there. It gets chilly in here. I love the free hot chocolate.” 

Their conversation is interrupted by a third voice. “‘Sup, ‘sup? Talking hot and cold?” Charlie approaches and comes to a stop by them. He pops a few almonds in his mouth, looking between them. 

“Oh my God, Charlie! Where did you get those? We don’t sell those here.” 

_That seems a little extreme_ , Dee thinks. _Does she really care that he brought some nuts in?_

“My pocket,” Charlie answers, spraying bits of food. He swallows then reaches in his jeans for a few more. He holds his palmful out, “Want some?” 

_Okay, that’s a little gross_ , Dee thinks. 

“They’re fresh,” Charlie says. “I found them this morning. In an alley. I think a squirrel piled them, then got bashed by a car.” He turns to the girl, giving his best attempt at a suave smile. 

“Ugh, I’m going on break,” the concession girl snaps, grabbing her purse and walking away. 

“Wow. You’ve got a way with the with ladies.” 

“She’ll come around. I just have to prove myself.” 

“What about the girl you were talking about? The other night?” Dee asks, curiosity overwhelming. 

“That was her,” Charlie answers with excitement. 

“That’s the girl in your life?” Dee laughs, relieved, “She clearly hates you.” 

“Nah, we’re soulmates. She just has to figure it out,” he responds simply, with a hopeful misbelief. 

Dee shakes her head. He’s an idiot, but not in that way most guys are- entitled and pushy. The guy’s just a delusional hopeless romantic. Neither says anything as they fidget in silence, neither wanting to leave or knowing what to say. 

They’re not alone for long when Dennis appears. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dee demands. 

“I was in the area,” he answers and somehow makes it sound condescending. “Met this chick for coffee. Waste of time, she was a 4 at best. But never mind that- I know you have no life and would be hanging around here. Thought I’d stop in and make sure you were working on that butterfly jump.” 

Dee rolls her eyes. “That’s none of your business. And it’s feeling like you’re here as much as I am.” 

“Just because my debilitating injury kept me from skating, does not mean I’m not allowed here, _Deandra_.” 

Dee scoffs, crossing her arms. “You sprained your wrist, that’s practically nothing in this sport. And I'm sure it hasn’t affected your ability to jack off.” 

The twins hear a quick laugh and turn to see Charlie looking amused. Dee feels a surge of pride, while Dennis turns red. “You are not a part of this,” he nearly shouts, waving his hands in a shooing motion, “Be gone! Be gone with you!” 

Charlie isn’t intimidated. He gives Dennis a strange look, “Alright, man. Relax.” He disappears with his snack. 

“Who was that?” Dennis asks, almost accusatory. 

The concession girl’s voice plays in her head. “Charlie,” Dee answers, intentionally vague as if the name answers his question. 

“Don’t think about it,” Dennis warns. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dee feigns innocence. 

Dennis narrows his eyes. “Dad’s having a fundraiser for kids this Friday. Dead ones or dying or something. He wants us there.” There’s an implied _don’t bring him_. 

“Ugh,” Dee sighs, tired of pretending to care, “I miss when he was in all those poor countries.” 

Dennis nods. “Me too, sis, me too.” 

——— 

“Eww. This place is a shithole,” Mac comments as he enters Paddy’s. 

“What’re you talking about?” Charlie asks. 

“Watch your mouth,” Frank warns, tipping his beer bottle towards Mac, “I like it.” 

“The bar smells like trash,” Mac states as he grabs a beer from behind the counter and takes a seat. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Charlie asks. “The bar looks great.” 

Frank shakes his head. “Sorry, kid,” he says in a sympathetic voice. 

“So, what do you want, man? I don’t come to your job and criticize you. Even though we both know you can’t lift what you tell everyone,” Charlie states. He’s the only one who can be brutally honest with Mac. 

It looks like he’s going to argue back but thinks better of it. “I’m bored,” Mac whines, “I thought we could hang out.” 

“I’m kind of working here,” Charlie says, indicating the spray bottle and rag in his hands. 

“I’m _bored_ ,” Mac counters as if Charlie doesn’t understand the magnitude of this problem. 

“How about a game of pool?” Frank asks. 

Mac takes in the man’s age and stature. “Can you even play?” he asks. 

“I can play, and I can kick your ass!” Frank challenges. “Even though you’re more experienced handling balls,” he adds on. 

Mac puffs out his chest in an attempt to look bigger than his narrow frame allows, “It’s on, you old bitch.” 

—— 

“What’s going on with that skater chick you’ve been hanging around?” Tim asks Charlie before practice one morning. 

“Oh yeah, I noticed that,” Adriano butts in. “Nice; those girls are crazy flexible. But flat chested.” 

Charlie’s cheeks turn a slight pink. He’s never been the type for locker room talk, as the guys called it. And it’s taking a growing effort to not think about her that way. 

“It’s nothing,” Charlie says, voice rising. “We just see each other sometimes.” He doesn’t need word getting out to concession girl that he’s into someone else. 

“Well, if you’re not taking a run at that, maybe I will. Try her out, let you guys know if she’s worth it,” Adriano laughs, as if he’s doing the team a favor. 

Charlie feels a surge of fire burning inside, “No!” he shrieks, jumping up. He barely knows this girl, barely cares he tells himself, but he knows she deserves better than that asshole. Instead of punching Adriano or biting a hole in his neck, see how hot he thinks he is then, he decides to leave. “Don’t bother. She’s got a boyfriend,” he says before walking away, making a mental note to keep an eye on them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't a huge disappointment. 
> 
> A butterfly jump is defined as "The butterfly jump is a spin/jump performed in figure skating where the skater does a flying spin that requires a two-foot takeoff. The skater’s body must be in a nearly horizontal position as the free leg makes a wide, powerful rotation swing upwards, in order to be higher than the upper part of the body. The legs nearly resemble a scissors motion." It looks really cool and I recommend checking it out. I initially wanted Dennis to insult her long legs, making it even harder, but it just didn't flow. (re: dialogue issues)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac gets somewhere with Rex then helps Charlie out with his own crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Hope you're all staying healthy and safe.
> 
> This is a Mac heavy chapter, but it's also the shortest yet. It's more of a filler, but I liked leaving us at the last scene.

“What’s your plan?” Charlie asks. “Just invite him to watch you hit a puck?” 

Mac hadn’t thought that through. He falters. “No. Technically _yes_ , but not that lame. It’s different.” 

“How is it different, Mac?” Charlie asks, tossing some popcorn in his mouth. It’s Movie Night, a rare night where neither has to work, but Mac won’t shut up. Charlie is already having enough trouble following the movie without his roommate distracting him. 

“Because…,” Mac thinks, “you’ll be there.” 

“Yeah, man, that won’t be weird,” Charlie says. " _Come let me try to bang you while my best friend watches_ ,” Charlie mocks. 

“Wingman for me,” Mac suggests, like it’s the best idea he’s ever had. “Offer a hockey game for us, he’ll see how badass I am, then I’ll help you impress that girl you like.” 

This catches Charlie’s attention. Concession girl is not giving him a chance, but maybe she’ll listen to someone else. He extends his hand to shake, “Deal.” 

—— 

“Hey, Rex,” Mac greets as he approaches. 

“Oh, hey, bro. What’s up?” Rex responds from his spot on the machine fly. 

“Nothin’, nothin’,” Mac tries over-casual, tapping his toe on the floor. “Getting my pump on, y’know.” It’s awkward as shit, and Charlie is starting to feel embarrassed for him. 

“Nice,” Rex approves. 

“This is my buddy. Charlie,” Mac says. When Charlie gives him a half wave in acknowledgement, Mac elbows him. 

“He plays hockey. Probably gonna go pro,” Mac pushes forward when Charlie doesn’t catch on to his cue. 

“Maybe we could play a game or something,” Charlie says. 

“That’s a great idea. Talk guy stuff. Hit the puck around,” Mac agrees with enthusiasm. He sounds like a jackass, _this isn’t touch football,_ but Rex doesn’t seem to notice. 

Rex considers it for a moment and Charlie finds the wait to be surprisingly tense. If this fails, Mac might not help him. And he doesn’t want to see his buddy get crushed. 

“Okay,” Rex answers, “I’m not much of a hockey guy, but it sounds fun.” 

\----- 

Mac fires out onto the ice like he’s seen Charlie do so many times. He looks so badass in his mind, so tough and athletic; a total hardbody, and irresistible. If there was a crowd, they’d be cheering. But things don’t go that way in reality. He’s unable to keep his balance at the speed and proceeds to tip forward, flailing his arms and yelping before landing facedown. 

“Oh shit, man. Are you okay?” Mac squirms at the hand on his shoulder, pushing Charlie away in a growing embarrassment; he doesn’t need his buddy making him look weak. But when he lifts his head, he’s met with Rex’s brown eyes. “You okay, man?” he repeats. 

“Yeah,” Mac answers, sitting up and shoving down any sign of weakness. 

“You went down pretty hard. It look like it hurt, but it was pretty badass.” He sounds impressed. 

Mac feels a sense of pride, despite Charlie leering in his peripheral, looking amused. Rex pulls Mac to his feet, then brushes some ice shavings off his shoulder and lingering there a beat longer than casually necessary. “You’ve got some good muscle base going on. Maybe we could hit the gym together? Get you swol,” Rex offers. 

Instead of getting upset about his implied lack of muscle mass, Mac lights up, “Yeah!” 

—- 

“It worked!” Mac sing songs as he bursts through the apartment door. “He was spotting me and I was ‘I could go for a beer’ all casual-like, and he’s all ‘sounds good bro. where ya thinking?’ I didn’t even have to invite him,” he finishes happily, taking his first breath in over 30 seconds. 

“Nice. Paddy’s?” Charlie says as Mac drops onto the couch. 

“The Rainbow,” Mac grins. Charlie’s eyebrows shoot up, Mac is really not holding back. 

Charlie clasps his hands together. “Great. Now you can help me.” 

—— 

“Hey! Hey you!” Mac shouts at his target. 

She’s exiting the ice rink and headed down the sidewalk, in the opposite direction of where Mac has been waiting the past twenty minutes. 

The girl keeps walking, ignoring him. Ugh, he’s starting to like her less and less. Mac pushes himself up off the ground. “I’m talking to you,” he calls again. 

She stops, irritation obvious, giving him just enough time to catch up. “Not interested, creep.” 

“Ugh, gross,” Mac makes a face. “I’m not interested in you either,” he says, arguing. 

“Then what do you want? I have mace,” she says. 

“Not that. I’m here to ask you on a date,” Mac answers, like he just proved her wrong. He catches the implication, “Not for me. For my buddy, Charlie. You know him.” 

Dee’s eyes widen. It’s not exactly a turn-on that he doesn’t have the balls to ask her himself, but it’s kind of sweet in a way; at least he’s not an entitled creep. “Sure. I’m going to a fundraiser this weekend; tell him to meet me. Friday. 6 o’clock. The Pike,” she says, then adds on a patronizing, “Can you remember that?” 

Mac glares at her, their dislike of each other mutual and not subtle, “Yeah.” 

Dee reaches into her purse and passes him a small card, “In case your memory is as good as your aim.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rex is hard to write :(
> 
> Sorry for all mistakes and inconsistencies. Thanks for sticking with me and reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "date"

Dee waits in front of the building. She checks her reflection in her phone screen. She’s dressed up more than she usually would at these events. Her hair is down and lightly curled. She’s wearing a light layer of makeup, eyeshadow offsetting her dark blue backless dress. It’s tame enough to not look like she’s trying hard, but shows enough skin to impress her date. 

Charlie approaches the building, whistling to himself. He’s got a date with the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. It’s taken almost two years, but he’s finally gotten a date with her. Thank you, Mac. He may have gotten Charlie a chance with her, but he can charm her for real. Really seal the deal. He pats out any possible wrinkles in his good jeans, and runs his fingers through his hair. 

Charlie reaches his destination, stopping when he catches sight of Dee. “Oh, hey! What’re you doing here?” 

“Waiting for you,” she answers, flashing him the 5:57 on her phone screen, “What did your asshole friend tell you?” 

“He said he got me a date with the girl I like. You know, from the concession stand.” 

“Well, he talked to me,” she states. 

“Oh,” Charlie says, face falling. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” Dee says with a condescending smile, “I’m sure.” 

He glances to the ground, scratching at his ear, “I, uh, it could really ruin my chances if she hears I’m on a date with another girl...” 

“Then it’s not a _date_ ,” Dee tells him, not stating the fact that his chances were pretty much zero anyway. She eyes his light grey hoodie matched with a dark blazer. He’s wearing jeans , but it looks like he attempted to iron them. “Is this how you dress for dates?” He looks confused. _What’s wrong with it?_ He’s wearing a blazer and his jeans don’t have any holes. “Don’t think this is all for you. I was going to be here anyway, so you can go.” Dee says, defensive side setting in. 

There’s an awkward pause as they stand there. “Nah, it’s fine. I’m dressed up anyway. Let’s hang out. Enjoy the party.” 

Dee laughs, shaking her head, “It’s not a party.” She’s been going to these events for years. Her charity-loving father hosts them whenever he’s not in some far away country building hospitals or schools or something for orphans. It’s mostly rich and fake-concerned people standing around, priding themselves for saving the world. 

“I like your dress,” he says. 

“Thanks,” Dee responds. She decides to mess with him, for sort of turning her down. She turns enough for him to see her bare back, then motions towards her low cut top, accentuating her porcelain skin, “I can’t wear a bra with it, though.” 

Charlie’s ears turn bright pink and he looks like he’s going to pass out. _Bingo_. 

“Let’s go,” Dee says, nodding towards the building. Charlie follows her lead, casually placing his hand on the small of her back, then yanking his hand away upon brushing against her skin. 

They enter the building and hear a cheerful “There’s my little girl.” 

“Hi, Daddy,” Dee says in a voice that even with barely knowing her, sounds wrong to Charlie. 

She hugs a tall man with hair a few shades darker than her own. He holds her shoulders at arm's length, “You get more beautiful every day.” He turns to Charlie. “And who’s this handsome fella?” He holds his hand out for Charlie to shake. 

“‘m Charlie,” he says, shaking the man’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Charlie. I’m Bruce, Deandra’s dad. But I’m sure you already knew that. Anyway, welcome to this little shindig,” he rambles with excitement. He pats Charlie’s shoulder then kisses Dee on the forehead before leaving for the makeshift stage. 

“Now what?” Charlie turns to her. 

Dee gives a half shrug. “Hang around, make it look like I care. There’s food and music.” 

“Where’s the bar?” Charlie asks, looking around. He turns his torso along with his head and Dee finds it amusing. Maybe even a little cute. 

“Don’t have one. These church lovers won’t let that happen. Even though Jesus drank wine.” Dee slips a small, silver flask from her purse and takes a drink. 

Charlie watches with a look of want. She holds it out to him. Charlie smiles a small _thanks_ and takes a sip. He looks shocked, nearly spitting it out and coughing. “Is that just vodka?!” he exclaims. 

Dee shushes him from drawing more attention to them. She takes it back. “Yeah, less calories,” she responds, “Why? What were you expecting?” 

Charlie shrugs, “I dunno. Something normal. Like beer.” 

She laughs. “Who puts beer in a flask?” 

“Who drinks vodka without mixer?” he shoots back. 

“Someone who can handle their liquor,” Dee responds. _Someone who’s not a pussy,_ she almost says, but refrains. Things are going well, and she doesn’t want to wreck that; she’s been called too abrasive before. 

“I work in a bar. I can handle my booze,” Charlie assures her. He’s definitely defending himself, but there’s a hint of playfulness, a desire to verbally spar with her. 

Dee had never considered his having a job before. He’s a sort of enigma that occasionally pops in and out of her day. He continues as if he read her mind. “Yeah, I clean a bar at night. Hang with the owner, drink. It’s pretty sweet.” 

Dee nods. “Hmmm. Sounds like it.” 

“What about you?” 

“Skating. Going to these things,” Dee answers. It sounds lame; to pretty much anyone else, she’d be proud, sounding impressive with her talent and years of experience. But Charlie knows the ice, too, it’s normal for him. But he seems interested, so she keeps talking. “I started out in pairs with my brother, then he got hurt and Mom made him quit but pushed me harder.” 

Dee doesn’t know why she’s telling him this; she’s learned immediately dumping your problems on a guy tends to scare them away, but it feels natural. 

“Mine didn’t want me playing. Hockey. But she’d probably have me in bubble wrap now if she could.” 

They’re separated when Dee is called to the stage along with Dennis. She stands there with her brother and their parents, pretending to be a caring and loving family. She puts on her best smile for the crowd as Bruce makes the same speech he does every time- how important this cause is, how wonderful everyone is for attending. She locks eyes with Charlie in the crowd and it feels like they share a moment, but when she returns to the floor he’s disappeared. 

\----- 

Dee’s hiding out by the back doorway, cigarette in hand. She doesn’t really smoke; too many and her lungs burn at practice. It calms her nerves though, and keeps her weight in check without the work. A body appears too close behind her. 

“Are you sleeping with him?” Dennis demands. 

“It’s none of your fucking business,” Dee argues back. 

“That wasn’t a no.” 

“It wasn’t a yes either, asshole.” 

“I’m just looking out for you, sis,” Dennis sighs, sounding tired and concerned. “You’re going to get knocked up. Then what? Your career is over.” 

“What career, Dennis? This game ends by 30. You’re just worried you won’t be able to keep using me anymore. You've done nothing with your life but leech off Dad and take credit for my success.” She’s won prize money, but never any big sponsorships or consistent income. With all her time at the rink, she’s barely had a job. 

She likes skating, the attention, the freedom, the motivation to keep in shape. But she doesn’t want to do this forever, constantly worry about her weight, being up and pushing herself at 6 A.M. on Saturdays, her head and body aching from the tight buns and intense exercise. She doesn’t want to see herself cast aside, dried up and old and used. 

His eyes flare and jaw clenches and Dee knows she struck a nerve. “So, what? You just quit? Become a fat housewife with a shitload of kids, with nothing in your life but soap operas and your balding husband?” 

He’s right, and that’s what hurts Dee the most. Skating has been the only thing in her life since she was 5- the only praise she received, the only thing she was proud of. She barely finished high school, instead focused too hard on training and competition and seeking fame. She’s got a shelf full of medals and trophies, but they always seem to pale in comparison to her twin brother’s fancy college degree that he never even used. 

“Fuck you,” Dee hisses. She doesn’t need to hear this now. Especially from her twin brother. “I’m allowed to have other stuff in my life.” She’s feeling a lot of conflicting emotions accumulating into the worst possible thing in the moment- tears. 

Dee pushes past him, head held high and heels clicking on the cheap hardwood. She heads towards the bathroom, catching sight of Charlie on her way _._ He’s got a small plate in one hand stacked with what looks like a very large pile of cheese and is plucking away at a keyboard with the other. He seems to be holding a deep conversation with its owner. _Shit, Charlie_. It wasn’t even her that he was supposed to be with tonight, so it’s not like her leaving matters. Dee passes him on her way out the front door, “I gotta go, but stay if you want.” 

\------

Here's the dress Dee is wearing

Charlie is in his s1 date outfit. Which, in my opinion, is very cute. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I don't know how to feel about this chapter. It veered off from my outline. But it's also my first slowburn so I don't really know what I'm doing.... These two seem to enjoy giving md a hard time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac goes on a date, while Dee and Charlie think about their own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a month later and I'm back!  
> I lost inspiration and motivation, but still am not giving up. The ending is planned, it's just getting there.

Dee’s gotten good at skating after a late night. It’s not exactly easy, the overhead lights glare too bright, and she feels dizzy after a spin. But she’s good at skating and good at drinking, so it evens out. It’s her stupid goddamn brother that’s the problem. 

_***_

_Dee arrives home, throwing her keys across the room. She passes her brother's room, the big one of course, and enters her own. She drops on her bed and kicks off her shoes, staring at the ceiling as she screams into a pillow. Her stupid asshole brother has to ruin everything, taking every nice thing she gets for himself or destroying it until it’s no longer good._

_So_ _what-the fuck-ever if she gives up skating to settle into a boring life with a man that loves her. She’s dreamt of fame and adoration her whole life, but she’s not getting that from skating. Besides, it’s always been conditional, from sponsors and judges and even her own mother. But, a life of support whether she’s winning awards or not wearing makeup grows more tempting by the day. She briefly thought she could have that with Charlie; A fellow skater who would understand the love and the pressure, who could spend days at the rink together, and nights curled up on the couch. But it’ll never work, he’s in love with someone else. Even if he did choose her, Dee would always be second best, and while she’s grown used to it from her mother it’s not what she’ll take from a husband._

_Dee sits up, wiping at the dried tears and smudged makeup on her face. She takes a few deep breaths, slowly feeling normal again, then heads out to the kitchen for dinner._

_“Hey, sis,” Dennis greets when he enters their apartment. Dee pointedly ignores him. “No greeting for your own brother? Nice,” He started this whole thing by being an asshole and is going to turn it around onto her._

_“What do you want?” She continues making her sandwich. She’s half expecting him to comment about that- but fuck him; he probably doesn’t know how much or how little she’s eaten that day. She has practice in the morning, and skipping dinner on top of the alcohol, is going to make it hell. Dee turns to face him, arms crossed._

_He lifts his hands submissively, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think you were going to get so emotional. I was just trying to help you out.”_

_Dee pushes past him heading back to her room. She's not in the mood to listen to his fake apologies and making everything about himself._

_***_

The girls all gather after practice, chatting excitedly about their improvements and Saturday plans. Coach makes her usual post-practice speech, followed by an announcement, “Championships are coming up. Qualifications begin in a few weeks, so we’ll have officials here soon.” 

She’s never made it to the final round but gets far enough to make some money and gain a few more medals to rub in her brother’s face, and at this point it’s good enough for her. Dee’s gathering the last of her things on the way out when Adriano speaks, “Hey, I caught your practice. You look good out there.” He smiles his confident and alluring smile, “I’m Adriano. Star of the hockey team. What do you say we go out sometime?” 

He’s handsome and fit and skates- just what she’s been looking for. “Sure,” Dee smiles back. 

\---------- 

Charlie’s thinking about last night when a whistle sound cuts through his thoughts. “What was that, Kelly?” Coach yells. He jolts back to reality to see the puck laying by his foot, it must’ve hit his skate then skidded to a halt. Usually he prides himself on his catlike reflexes, but it isn’t the case currently. He can’t stop thinking about Dee. Why did she look so sad? Why did she leave so suddenly? He hadn’t thought he’d done anything wrong. Besides imply that he didn’t want to be with her. But she seemed to have gotten over that. 

*** 

_Charlie is deep in a conversation with a guy from the band. He’s always loved music, but never got to pursue it. He never planned to go far with it but making music with his trusty old keyboard and some buddies would be great. It’s too bad he doesn’t know anyone that plays an instrument._

_“I gotta go, but stay if you want.” He turns to see Dee passing him on her way out the door. The dark around her eyes is more prominent, even from a distance, and it occurs that it may be from crying. He’s not really sure what to do with himself; even though they weren’t together the whole time, it felt weird to stick around without his inviter there._

_He walks home, in no hurry, taking in the sights of his city. Charlie briefly considers stopping by the rink; he knows concession girl is working, and he could show off his being dressed up. Maybe grab a hotdog, too. But the rink is usually busy at this time and she'll find his interruptions annoying rather than charming._

_Charlie walks through the door to his shared apartment, to find Mac lounging on the couch. He shrugs off his blazer, tossing it in the nearest chair. Charlie drops onto the cushion next to Mac, “Whatcha watching?”_

_Mac barely takes his eyes off the screen, “Predator.”_

_“Again?” Charlie asks._

_“It’s a good movie,” Mac states. He turns to Charlie, “How was the date? You're home kinda early.”_

_“It wasn’t a date,” Charlie answers, “You talked to the wrong girl_ _.”_

_Mac furrows his brows, “No. The one you’re always staring at?”_

_“I’m not always-,” Charlie cuts off his argument. “The one from the concession stand. That’s who I’m supposed to be with.”_

_Mac thinks for a moment. “Her?_ _Shit, man, she’s so forgettable.”_

_“No, she not! She’s beautiful and perfect and smells good.”_

_Mac wrinkles his nose and tilts his head in a ‘beg to differ’_ _motion but_ _stays_ _silent_ _._

_“What’d you do wrong?”_

_“Nothing. I don’t know what happened. She just started crying and ran out of there,” Charlie says, having not solved the mystery._

_That seems to solve everything for_ _Mac. “Women a_ _re emotional,” he explains, disinterested._

_That doesn’t seem right, Charlie thinks. She usually seems angry, but not sad._

_He settles into the couch to finish the movie, but not without commenting, “Whatever, man. Let’s see how your date goes.”_

\--------- 

Mac gets ready for his date with Rex. He’s passed by The Rainbow several times, but has never been in. He’s been curious, sure, but wasn’t sure what to expect. But if a beefcake like Rex approves of the place, then it can’t be bad. Mac stares at his reflection in the mirror, slicking his hair back then flexes in his black tank top. Since Rex is the only of the two with a car, he’ll pick Mac up on the way. He’s eagerly waiting by the window, eyes darting between the road and cellphone gripped tightly in his nervous hands. Charlie is stretched out across the couch, sleeping peacefully. Without the possibility of his friend’s playful teasing, he feels confident enough to do a couple of pre-date pushups. Mac is just huffing out #4 when his phone dings; he grabs it and runs out the door and down the steps. 

“Hey, man,” Rex greets as Mac climbs into the passenger seat. 

Mac nods back, “’Sup?” 

\----- 

The bar is dark with neon lights and thumping music, and it takes Mac’s senses a few seconds to adjust from the calm summer evening outside. The floor is packed with dancing people and the overall mood is energetic and welcoming. 

“Want a drink?” Rex shouts over their surroundings. 

Mac nods, “Absolutely.” 

They make their way to the bar, ordering whatever the signature drink is. "What’s your regimen?” Mac asks after receiving their drinks. 

“What?” Rex squints in confusion. 

“To keep that body,” Mac clarifies. “What do you do at the gym? What's your routine?” 

“Cardio. Weights. That stuff.” The silence after is uninterested answer is awkward.

“What kind of supplements are you using? I’ve been thinking about trying creatine, but heard they give you the shits.” 

“I’ve got a few powders,” Rex says. “I really don’t want to talk about fitness right now.” 

“Oh, uh, right...” Mac says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Don’t be nervous, bro,” Rex laughs good-naturedly, patting Mac on the back. 

“I’m not nervous,” he snaps back, then slightly flinches at his reaction. He _is_ nervous, which is making him jumpy. And not that he’d admit it, but Charlie got into his head. First, with his own botched night out, then almost challenging Mac to do the same. 

Rex downs his drink in one smooth motion, and Mac is transfixed on his taught muscles. “C’mon, let’s go dance,” he says. 

Mac grins and throws back his drink, too. The alcohol and Rex’s hand gripping his own calming his nerves as they enter the dance floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep this realistic for the sports, but have to take some liberties. I only feel a little guilty.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriano and Dee go on a date, Mac and Dennis meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back 2 months later! No excuse really, some lost interest, forgot, and busy. But it's my longest chapter yet

Dee generally likes working out. It sucks getting motivated, but she feels so accomplished and fit when it’s over. She can do a lot at home, too, thanks to the Pilates machine in their living room. She can complete her entire set in her bedroom, in leggings and sports bra with her routine music playing in the background. Qualifying starts in a few weeks, pushing her to try harder than usual. She’s been slacking off lately, tired of living for competitions and staying fit. She wants some semblance of normalcy, without skating and her brother running her life. Her dad can keep paying her rent, Dee’s fine with that part.

Today, Dee decides to go to the gym. She can work on some cardio, work on strength rather than resistence and feel some sort of community. Looking extra tight for her date is a bonus, too. She throws a hoodie over her usual outfit, grabs a water bottle and heads out the door.

\------

Charlie stretches in his apartment, still in long johns and a kickass horse shirt. That’s what he does, every morning and every night. Stretches every major muscle, then balances on one leg for one minute each. The other guys on the team would call him a pussy for it, strength and speed are all that matters in hockey- stretch just enough to warm up. But Charlie attributes it to his inexplicable talent on the ice. He decides to get an extra work-out in like Coach is always bitching about. Getting away from his roommate is another motivator; Mac groans at any noise Charlie makes, tightening the pillow over his head, a vicious hangover from another late night with Rex. Charlie throws on some basketball shorts and grabs one of Mac’s cut off shirts; He won’t need to know Charlie wore it, all sweat smells the same. He pops a sweatband around his forehead and heads to the gym.

\-------

Dee pushes through the glass double-doors to Philadelphia Fitness, passing her card to the counter jockey. She smirks to herself when the computer dings and ‘Elite Member’ pops onto the screen; She likes the status. Some puppy dog eyes to Dad about how she needs the extra level worked perfectly, how she needs the tanner to look good at competitions, how the hot tub access eases post-workout muscles.

“Would you like a trainer today?,” the woman asks.

Dee shakes her head, “I know what I’m doing. But send me one of those nice towels, the fluffy ones from the steam room. Not these rags the gym rats use.” She points to the shelves of folded towels on a metal shelf by the entrance.

“I assure you these are washed after-,” she stops mid-sentence, putting on her best ‘dealing with asshole customers’ face. “No problem, it’ll just be a moment.”

Dee nods in a _damn right_ way.

The woman speaks into a walkie, “Hey, Sam. We’re gonna need one of the good towels over here. For an _elite member_.” She emphasizes the key words, clearly hinting at _difficult member_.

\--------

“Wow, that’s pretty badass,” a voice says behind Dee, making her yelp and nearly fall. She was in the middle of reverse sit-ups.

“What the hell, man?!” Dee shouts, adjusting her position and placing a hand over her beating heart. Charlie laughs at her reaction, he holds up his hands in mock surrender.

“It’s not funny,” Dee glares at him, more embarrassed than angry.

“I didn’t know you worked out here,” Charlie comments, stuffing his hands in his pants pocket and shrugging- an attempt at casual conversation. Dee notices how toned his arms are, the smattering of freckles on his pale biceps in contrast to his forearms.

“Yeah, well, I do. Not a lot because I can do a lot of this shit at home,” Dee says, adjusting to a normal position for conversation.

“Huh, cool cool. My buddy works here, so we get to hang a lot when he works. Talk about mass and girls. And guys. He’s into guys, because he’s gay. But I like girls,” Charlie rambles.

“Good for you. What an ally,” Dee says, with a hint of disinterest. Or maybe it’s patronizing.

“What about you?” Charlie asks, words tumbling out in an attempt to keep the conversation going.

Dee laughs in surprise. “Are you trying to ask if I’m a lesbian?” Charlie’s eyes widen and he starts to cough in surprise. He starts to stutter out a protest, but Dee continues. “I’m not. Got a date with a guy tonight. The hot one on your team. Aaron? Andrew? Adele?”

“Adriano?!” Charlie shouts, and a few people look at the source of the outburst.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Dee confirms.

“No,” Charlie commands. “You can’t go out with him. He’s a player. It’s gross.”

“So,” Dee shrugs. “I’m young and hot. I’m gonna have fun. Maybe I’ll lock him down.”

“Don’t do it,” Charlie warns with finality, “He’s just gonna use you.”

“Goddammit, Charlie. We were having a nice conversation for once, and you had to ruin it again,” Dee groans in irritation. She grabs her towel and water bottle to continue her workout elsewhere, “I’m sure I’ll see ya around.”

————

“Hey, Frank,” Charlie greets as he enters work-slash-his hangout that night. “What’s a good date place in Philly?”

Frank puts down his beer and peers down the top of his glasses at his young friend. “You got yourself a girl? Good for you, some ass will make you forget about that broad you’re obsessed with.”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Charlie corrects, urgency still lacing his voice. “I need to stop a date. Adriano, from my team, is going out with that ice skater girl, and I gotta stop it.”

“Cockblocking your buddy? That’s not very nice, Charlie,” Frank tells him in a very fatherly tone.

“I’m trying to protect her! This guy. He bangs girls and tells everyone about it and they try to bang her, too.” The desperation in his voice is growing.

“That just sounds like a guy thing, Charlie. They talk about sex. Let others know if it’s good puss.”

“Whatever, man,” Charlie shakes his head. “I’ll figure it out myself,” he heads towards the door, blowing off work that night.

“Wait!” Frank calls, as Charlie reaches the door. “If it’s really bothering you that much, I got a guy. What’s the target’s name?”

——

Two and a half hours later, Charlie is peering through the window to Guigino’s. The place is packed as he scans the crowd for his targets. Nothing. He glances up and down the sidewalk, but nobody seems to be paying attention to him. Charlie pulls out his binoculars to aid in his efforts. He moves down the large bay window, craning his neck for a better view. He pulls out his old flip phone to call Frank; Obviously this intel was wrong, and a waste of Charlie’s time. His teeth clench at the thought of seeing Adriano at practice as the team gathers around him; being forced to overhear the guy describe the sex in detail, pointing out every good and bad aspect, and laughing at how dumb Dee is for thinking he’ll call her.

The phone rings in his ear while Charlie impatiently stares into the building. He’s snapped out of his stupor when a pair move through the restaurant and past his eyeline. That’s them! Adriano is in a light blue dress shirt and dark jeans, his hair meticulously groomed. Charlie nearly chokes when he sees Dee; she’s in a short black dress, fitted just enough to show off her figure, while leaving just enough to the imagination. Her toned legs leading down to red strappy, stilettos. Charlie stares at her in awe for a moment, questioning what it means that she didn’t wear that for him. He snaps back to reality when they sit- Adriano doesn’t even pull her chair out he notes- and the hostess gives them menus.

Charlie shoves his way past the mahogany double doors, squeezing past the couples waiting in the lobby. He about bashes into a few people, but years of hockey have made him nimble, and he manages to make it to his goal in under two minutes. He stops at the table and the pair break conversation to look up at him. Adriano looks pissed, while a surge of expressions flash across Dee’s face. “Hey, guys,” he greets, chipper and over-casual.

“What are you doing here?” Adriano demands, putting on an alpha male show for his dinner companion.

“Thought I’d check in on my buddies. See how this.. thing is going.”

“What do you care?” Adriano demands, standing like he’s about to fight, trying to intimidate Charlie.

Charlie doesn’t know where the courage is coming from, but he doesn’t care. Adriano will destroy him at practice, and he’s not sure what Dee will do, but he could lose her. Not that he had her or whatever. “Thought I told you to leave her alone.”

“You said she had a boyfriend, Kelly. She doesn’t, ” Adriano tells Charlie, and it feels like some sort of challenge. Dee looks to Charlie, but Adriano presses on before Dee can yell at him. “Actually, she was about to jack me off in the coatroom.”

Charlie turns to Dee, surprised and crestfallen, “You were?”

“I don’t- maybe.” She stands, too, because it’s really hard to argue with someone towering over you. “What do you care, Charlie? You have that girl at the rink. Aren’t you _in love_ with her? Or is that just your type? Going after women who hate you?”

She regrets it immediately but stands strong as if she truly believes it. She doesn’t hate him, and she doesn’t want to hear what he says next.

“You just go out with any guy who talks to you? First me, now Adriano. You want a team roster? Tear through us by numbers?”

He wanted to hurt her back, but not to the extent that he did. Her jaw snaps shut and she blinks hard before her expression becomes even stonier. She could easily start crying or punch him, and Charlie doesn’t want either to happen. Charlie shifts the blame to Adriano.

“He’s just using you, you know,” tells Dee. “He told me that was his plan. Then he was gonna rank you for sex,” Charlie finishes, defiantly

“I’m out of here, this bitch isn’t worth it,” Adriano huffs. He turns to Dee, “Your little buddy here, just blew a great opportunity for you.” He shoves past Charlie, glaring down at the shorter man, “Watch your back, Rat.”

Dee and Charlie are left standing alone.

Someone at the next table turns to them, “Take your little domestic issues outside. Some of us are trying to enjoy a civil meal.”

The pair turn to glare at him, tempers flaring even higher. They could take him. Neither are particularly big, but they’ve got the endurance and lean but strong muscle. The heightened anger would help, too.

“Excuse me,” they both turn to the waiter interrupting them. “I’m going to have to ask you both to leave. You’re causing a-.”

“I’m leaving anyway,” Dee states, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “Only white trash gets thrown out of places,” she gives a pointed look at Charlie before sticking her nose in the air and leaving.

——

Dennis follows a small black car through the rink’s parking lot. It’s one of those wannabe luxury vehicles that men who can’t afford the real deal buy; the guy’s a douchebag, Dennis decides as he tailgates the vehicle, in his Range Rover. The asshole crawls to a stop in front of the main entrance. Dennis sees the passenger lean over and kiss the driver, and gets out-a man with slicked black hair and glamour muscles. He gives a dopey lovesick smile to the driver, prompting Dennis to hit the horn hurrying the dope to move. The man instantly snaps to anger, flipping Dennis off then slamming the car door and making a dramatic showing of moving out of the way and into the building.

Dennis parks his car and enters the building. He scans the room for his sister and finally spots her. She’s in the middle of a Beillman Spin, which she completes perfectly. Dennis smirks in approval, maybe there’s hope for her yet.

“Ugh,” a voice to his left mutters.

Dennis turns on him, it’s the man he honked at. “You got a problem, pal?”

“No,” the man replies like a petulant child. “What does everyone see in her? She’s all gangly and is kind of a bitch.”

“I’m not into her, you sicko. That’s my sister. And my client. I’m her manager, it’s my job to make sure she doesn’t blow this for us. Win a gold for once in her life.”

“Huh.” The other guy simply shrugs, clearly disinterested.

“What are you doing here?” Dennis questions.

“I’m here to support my buddy, Charlie. He’s got hockey practice today. I’m kind of his personal trainer,” the man brags. “He’s the one who likes your sister, for some reason. He always likes the worst chicks,” he adds, tacking on the end as more of an afterthought.

“Yeah, well, she’s got shit taste in men, too. It’s probably why she’s not winning competitions,” Dennis shouts the last four words, mostly directed at Dee as her jump lands a few seconds early. He turns back to the other guy, “See?! You made me late because you were too busy sucking face with your boyfriend.” The logic doesn’t quite follow as practice was half over anyway, but Mac ignores it.

“So, you’re the asshole that threw a pissy fit because he had to wait two extra seconds. That’s homophobic, man.”

“Do you know what that word means? Or do you just throw it out to act like the victim when you start shit?”

“No, I don’t!” Mac argues. It takes a moment to realize that it’s unclear which question he’s answering. “I mean- I-. Stop calling me names. It’s Mac.”

“That’s a stupid name,” Dennis comments, still determined to press this guy’s buttons.

“What’s yours?” Mac asks smugly, like a challenge.

“I’m Dennis.”

\------

Dee is eager to get out of there before the next team arrives. She’s successfully avoided them last Saturday, the day after the date fiasco, and she’s hoping to do so again. But Coach keeps talking, prolonging her time there. It’s not until she feels hands hitting on her back, that she processes what’s going on. She made it to the next level in competition. She mutters some thanks and shoves the paperwork into her bag.

She’s just about out of the rink area when she runs into Charlie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not thrilled with the Mac/Dennis interaction, but Mac is the hardest to write- I just can't get his syntax down. And they're more of a background thing anyway.
> 
> I tried to sprinkle in some Hundred Dollar Baby and HS Reunion references. 
> 
> I recommend checking out the Biellmann spin.  
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDqyipDB-nc)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dee and Charlie hang out. Like, for real this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two months later, and I'm back. Two months to the day, even. Neat. This picks up immediately where the last chapter ended. Anyway, here it is...

Dee throws her head back in annoyance, rolling her eyes. She doesn’t know why she’s avoiding him, he’s the one who was an ass at the restaurant; He should be the one, guilty and embarrassed, avoiding her. She adjusts her bag strap on her shoulder, staring him down into making the first move. 

“So, that was crazy, huh? Lots of things said,” Charlie says awkwardly, dragging his toe across the ground. 

“Which you started,” Dee states. “What do you want?” 

_Shit._ He hadn’t really thought about it. Charlie just knew he felt a little bad about the Adriano Incident. “I dunno,” he shrugs. “To talk to you?” 

Dee crosses her arms, impatiently, glaring at him to get on with it. 

“So, since you like beer and not colorful bars, I was thinking… maybe we could hang out some. At this bar I work at,” Charlie scratches at his ear, glancing between the floor and Dee. 

“You show up and ruin my date, call me a whore, then ask me out?” Dee glares at him. 

He’s at a loss for words. Probably because he has no way to justify it, Dee thinks. “Not on a date, just to be friends,” he tries. “And Adriano’s gonna kick my ass today, if it makes you feel any better.” 

Dee shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant. “A little. He’s so much bigger than you.” Goddammit, she wants to be mad, but he’s softening that. 

“Do you want to? It’s free booze. And we keep meeting each other. Maybe it’s fate, but like for friends.” 

She’s pleasantly surprised that he remembered some likes and dislikes. God, that conversation seems so long ago. “Yeah,” she says, a smile slowly forming that she tries to not let show, “Okay.” There’s some innate pull towards this guy, and she’s going to ride it out. 

\------- 

Charlie manages to dodge another puck aimed at his head. Adriano isn’t even pretending to aim at the goal anymore. It’s still better than the few body checks Adriano hit him with earlier. 

Coach blows the whistle. “Alright, Calvanese! That’s enough. I don’t know what issues you two have but keep it off my time.” 

“Kelly’s the one with the problem,” Adriano fires back. “He doesn’t know enough to stay out of the way.” He gives Charlie a pointed look at that last comment. 

“I avoided every one!” Charlie shouts to Adriano. “I’m better at this than you.” 

The rest of the team stop to watch. Some murmur how Adriano will probably kill him, and others speculate that one stole the other’s girl. 

“That’s enough,” Coach yells. “You and you,” he points to Adriano and Charlie in turn, “get the hell off my ice and distracting my players." He looks to the rest of the team, “Get moving.” 

— 

“Well, hello,” Charlie smiles as he approaches the concession counter. 

“What do you want, Charlie?” Concession Girl rolls her eyes at the visitor. 

“I didn’t know you worked today,” he tries to carry on a casual conversation. 

“Stop trying to memorize my schedule,” she glares, trying to intimidate him. 

“I’m just taking an interest in your life,” Charlie leans against the counter. “So, what are you doing here?” 

The girl sighs. “There’s a birthday party later. They asked a few of us to help.” 

“Well, I just stopped by to say I’m going out with a girl tonight. I don’t know what you’ll hear, but it’s just as friends.” He doesn’t need word getting around that he’s dating. It could really kill his chances. 

“Good for you. I don’t care.” She closes the shutters in his face. 

—— 

Dee stands in front of her closet, deciding what to wear. It’s just a casual thing so she wants to be comfortable, but there’s still a desire to impress him. She decides on a loose yellow tank top and her favorite skinny jeans. Dee fluffs her blonde waves with her fingers and applies some pink lipgloss. She does a quick spin in the mirror, checking herself out and approving of the choice. She steps in a pair of sandals and heads out. 

— 

Charlie nervously paces the bar, awaiting Dee’s arrival. He nervously scoots some stools into a neat line, then runs his fingers through his hair in an attempt to style his locks. He’s introducing Dee to his friends tonight. Well, just Mac and Frank technically. And not “introducing” in a girlfriend way. He and Dee just happen to be hanging out at the bar where Mac and Frank will also be. 

“Will you calm down?” Frank instructs him. “You’re making me dizzy.” 

Mac jumps in, calling him old and Frank snips back with a gay comment. The routine bickering is oddly comforting to Charlie, as he lets the insults become white noise as he readies the bar for the night. 

Meanwhile, Dee observes the outside of Paddy’s. It’s kind of a dump, and there’s an ominous feeling that she could get stabbed. The windows look like they haven’t been washed in months and there’s a piece of cardboard patched with a pane of glass. This is definitely where Charlie works. And this is definitely not a date. She pulls the door open and enters the building. 

Dee’s greeted by a dive bar, mostly empty with a few grizzled looking men gathered in a back booth, quietly nursing their beers. 

“Hey,” Charlie greets cheerily, popping up from behind the bar. He pops the cap off the bottle in his hand and walks over to Dee, passing it to her. 

Dee accepts it, smiling a _thank you._ “So, this is it,” Dee comments, looking around. 

“Yeah, Paddy’s,” Charlie says, proudly. He motions towards his friend that Dee’s met before and an older, short, balding man, “And that’s Mac and Frank.” 

Mac simply observes her, their run ins haven’t exactly been amiable, while Frank nods, “Yo.” 

Charlie leads her to the group. She gracefully slides onto a stool, catching Charlie ever so slightly stand on tiptoe to climb onto the next stool. He grabs a beer off the counter and takes a drink. 

“Thanks for coming,” he says, breaking the silence. 

Dee nods, “Thanks for asking me.” 

Before he can reply, Frank interrupts. “So, you’re an ice skater, huh?” Frank asks. “That’s what Charlie says.” 

“Uhh, yeah,” Dee answers. Frank somehow makes it sound accusatory, like he’s trying to catch one of the two in a lie. 

“You any good?” Frank asks. 

“Yeah, got a fuckton of medals and shit,” Dee says. “There’s actually this huge competition coming up that I’m competing in. Skaters from all over the world compete.” 

“There’s competitions? How do you even win?” Charlie asks in surprise. 

“It’s a point thing,” Dee explains taking a drink of her beer. She sits it down and continues, “Judges, well, judge our routines and we get points for good moves and lose points for biffing things. Highest score wins.” 

“Isn’t that kind of... arbortory?” When everyone gives him a _what?_ look, he tries again. “You know. With people’s opinions instead of, like, a system.” 

“You mean _arbitrary_?” Dee asks and Charlie blushes slightly at using the wrong word. Dee doesn’t seem to notice. “No, it’s not. Well, I guess maybe a little, but there’s rules and shit.” 

“Huh,” Charlie observes, opening another beer. “I guess I just thought, you just went out there and did spins.” 

“It’s better than what you do. Hitting something with a stick? At least mine is art.” 

“Hey, it’s harder than that! There’s plays and formations to learn. It’s the same as yours, really,” he defends himself. “Plus, it’s all on ice. Most people can’t even skate.” 

“Well, _I_ can,” Dee says, making it clear how unimpressive his last statement was. “I’ve been on the ice since I was four.” Her look has some ice to it, too. 

“Me too,” Charlie lights up. “Pee-wee hockey. The Penguins.” 

“Tell me more about that,” Dee says. It could be taken as a genuine question or mocking him. 

“It was fun,” Charlie says. “I was fastest on the team. My mom signed me up, so she could sleep in on Saturdays.” 

“Mine made me and my brother do it, too. We’re twins so we did pairs. He was always little afraid of it,” she scoffs at the end. 

Charlie laughs. “Mac was afraid too. He said he wanted to learn, but was always too chicken.” 

“Was not!” Mac chimes in. “I just chose karate.” He turns to Dee. “Your brother? That’s always hanging around the rink? What an asshole.” 

Dee sniggers, “Yeah, he is. He was always mommy’s favorite. Hasn’t skated since we were seven and he thinks he knows better than me.” She pauses for a brief moment, then continues, the beers making her want to vent. “He falls, sprains his wrist, and mom makes him stop _for his safety_ ,” she rolls her eyes. “I’ve been hurt way worse and way more, and she doesn’t give a shit.” She finishes beer number four. 

“Are you okay?” Charlie asks, sounding genuinely concerned. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing I can’t heal from.” She grins with pride, “Got some killer x-rays.” 

“I’ve been hurt a lot, too,” Charlie says, excitedly. He holds out an arm, bending it at a slightly strange angle. “Mac and me cut my cast off so we could explode it. And it never healed right.” 

Dee rolls her eyes at the story, but there’s a light twinkle to them. 

“This is boringggg,” Frank pipes up. They’d forgotten he was there. He looks at the pair. “You two plowin’?” 

“Gross, Frank,” Mac makes a disgusted face. “I don’t want to think about that.” 

“Who doesn’t like thinking about sex?” Frank asks, as if Mac is in the wrong. 

“Let’s get back to stories about me. Now, Charlie, remember when w-,” he turns to his friend, to discover him completely ignoring the two and engrossed in a conversation with Dee. 

The pair continue chatting. Laughing, sharing stories, and occasionally bickering over whose sport is harder, gradually ignoring the others until it feels like they’re the only two in the bar. 

“It’s getting late, I should head out,” Dee says, stretching her long arms above her head then standing. She downs the last of her beer. “Thanks. It was fun.” 

“I’ll walk you home,” Charlie offers. 

“I drove here,” Dee responds. 

“I’ll walk you to your car.” He’s trying to be gentlemanly, and still hold on to a few precious more seconds with her. “It’s kind of a dangerous area,” he adds, and that part is true. 

“Yeah,” she chuckles “I’m half expecting to get stabbed.” 

“No,” Charlie shakes just head, “Stabbings here are way down.” 

Dee gives him a strange look, unsure if he’s serious or playing along. They exit through the front door, both surreptitiously stalling as they slow in the cooling air. “The stars are nice,” Dee tries, looking up at the night sky. 

“Yeah,” Charlie agrees, “Crazy how they used to be garbage smoke.” 

Dee looks at him, but instead of her usual irritated expression when he says something ridiculous, there’s a soft look of amusement. “What?” 

His gaze travels over to her. “How smoke becomes stars,” he explains. “Science, man,” Charlie breathes in amazement. 

“I don’t think that’s how stars work.” 

“Then where do they come from?” Charlie challenges. 

“It’s... and then there’s...Okay, I don’t know, but it’s not smoke. They just exist,” Dee flounders. Surprisingly, he doesn’t argue back. 

“We should get going,” Dee breaks the silence, looking down the street. 

Dee’s small, blue car is close and Charlie tries to think of another reason to stall. They’re close to the alley, maybe he can show her some cats. But Dee seems to be thinking the same thing, as she grabs him by the arm, guiding Charlie into the dark alley. Dee is watching him with a soft look of curiosity. Before he can ask what’s going on, she touches the back of his head then leans in, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Dee pulls back, opening her eyes looking surprised and a little embarrassed. She starts to say something, but Charlie reaches out, arms wrapping around her back and pulling Dee against him. He kisses her, rougher and desperate this time. Dee reciprocates quickly as Charlie pulls them against the brick wall, holding her close. One arm stays wrapped around her shoulders, while a hand rests on her waist then slides down across her ass and finally pulling her leg around him. His heart starts racing faster than at a game when her tongue parts his lips. 

His fingers slip to the hem of her shirt, gently grazing at the exposed skin above her jeans. His bare skin against hers is enough to snap them both out of it. Dee pulls back, stepping away from him. “What the hell?” She looks panicky. 

“Sorry,” Charlie says. “I wasn’t trying to be inappropriate. We were kissing and…. Sorry.” 

“I should, uh, I should go,” Dee gets out. 

“Okay,” Charlie nods. “I’ll see you...- I’ll see you.” 

He watches her disappear around the corner. Charlie’s fingers brush across his lips, leaving a sticky and pink substance on his fingers. He licks it out of curiosity, discovering a chemically sweet flavor. Whatever girly stuff was on her lips transferred to his. It’s nothing like the light scratches and hickeys the other guys show off, but Charlie still feels a little proud. 

—- 

“What took you so long?” Mac asks. “She make you walk her to the car?” He sounds annoyed at Dee’s supposed demands. 

“No,” Charlie shakes his head, still sounding a little faraway. “We, uh, we kissed.” 

“Nice,” Frank grins. “I like that one, Charlie. Any broad who can hold her booze is okay by me.” 

“Seriously?” Mac turns to Frank. “Do you have any standards?” 

“No. It’s probably why I get laid more than you.” 

“Prostitutes is why you get laid more than me,” Mac snips back. 

“Hey, them are good broads,” Frank points angrily at him. “I like my whores,” he adds proudly. 

Charlie’s mind is racing. He just cheated on the concession girl. He lied to her. And Dee? All his feelings for her are jumbling and creating a tornado in his stomach and chest. He hears a few words like “gym rat”, “wrinkled” and “disease” being slung back and forth, but his buddies’ arguing exacerbates his anxiety rather than calming it. 

“Shut uppp,” Charlie screeches at the pair who immediately quiet and turn to him. “I can’t think with all that arguing. What am I gonna do?” 

—- 

Dee sits in her car, dropping her head against the steering wheel like in movies. The dramatic effect doesn’t work, though, as all it does is sound the horn causing a startled passerby to shout at her. She looks at her reflection in her visor mirror- her hair is a mess, her skin is lightly flushed and her lip gloss is smeared and patchy. 

_Goddammit_. She’s really falling for him. This short guy with a bit of a belly who always finds a way to insult her. She thinks she wants to fuck him. No, she’s damn near positive she wants to fuck him. Much like the phantom traces of his skin on hers, these feelings aren’t going to go away fast enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> There's a few scenes I struggled with a little, but I don't think it's glaring. Worked in a few canon references, too. Sorry for weird punctuation, it looks fine in editing mode.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath, or lack of, after the kiss. Dee gets good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three months later and I'm back! Thanks to friends and a 4-day weekend for this finally happening. As of now this is the penultimate chapter. But the next one should be huge, plus an epilogue.

It’s been over a week since the kiss and Dee still hasn’t seen Charlie. Usually, Dee would be checking her phone every five minutes and questioning her self-worth. But he doesn’t have her number, and Dee doesn’t have his. Dee googles Paddy’s Pub on her phone, but the results are bare- a picture of a dilapidated building and no phone number or business hours. No wonder they don’t get any business, the place looks like it’s been closed for years. She groans at herself, for going through all this work for this guy, then gets in her car and drives to Paddy’s. 

*** 

Dee sits in her car, staring at the building. Right there outside the door is where they stood, silently pushing the other to make the first move. In the daylight, it doesn’t look nearly as romantic or beautiful as it did under the stars. She gets out of her car, headed for the front door. Dee doesn’t know what she’s hoping will happen, but Charlie doesn’t seem to plan ahead- why should she? 

The bar is empty when Dee enters, save for Frank and a small group of Asian men gathered around a table in a haze of smoke. 

“You open?” Dee asks, when nobody acknowledges a potential customer arrived. 

“What’s it look like?” Frank barks. 

“Looks like this place should’ve been condemned years ago,” Dee glares at him. “Door’s unlocked, but your closed sign is on,” she nods behind her to the objects in question. 

“Goddammit. Charlie!” Frank jumps up and quickly waddles to the window. He yanks the plug, muttering to himself “how many times I gotta tell ya, it doesn’t fucking say Coors.” 

He looks surprised, finally recognizing Dee. “Oh shit! You’re the girl. The one who sucked face with Charlie in the alley,” he wags his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Uhh, yeah,” Dee replies, annoyed. “Is he here?” 

Frank shakes his head, clearly itching to get back to his group. “I haven’t seen him today. Check with the candy girl.” 

_That asshole._

*** 

“Bro, I need some advice.” Mac sits next to Charlie on their couch, turning off the TV. 

Charlie groans in protest, stomping his feet on the floor. “I was watching that.” His best friend has always been a little annoying, but that’s okay, whatever, Charlie’s used to it. But right now he needs the distraction of two guys beating the shit out of each other. 

Mac plows on anyway. “So, things are good with Rex, right? But not as good as they were...” 

This is about the last thing Charlie needs. He’s been trying to distract himself from thoughts of relationships and feelings and shit. He’s trying to not think about Dee and touching her and kissing her. It was nice and he’s glad he did, but the thought of doing it again is consuming his mind. Her body under his fingers, the idea that even flush together she still didn’t feel close enough. The memory of the heat of her breath still igniting a fire in his chest. It was a night that he laid in bed after work, that the memory found its way into his mind again. Charlie relaxed into the thoughts, reimagining their exciting and brief encounter, until his dick twitched, snapping him out of it. His hands rubbed over the bulge in his boxers. He briefly considered getting himself off, both a physical and mental release, but it feels wrong, as if it’s the last thing keeping him from moving on from Concession Girl. 

“What should I do?” Mac asks. He’s looking at Charlie, expectantly. 

_Shit_. He hadn’t heard any of that. 

*** 

Dee gags as she sits on the bench, nervously fidgeting. She still hasn’t resolved things with Charlie, and now has that weighing on her on top of qualifications. She’s up next and her nerves are in full force right now. 

“You okay?” Ingrid asks to her left. Dee nods. “Nervous?” she tries. “Oooh,” her eyes widen in excitement and she leans closer to Dee, “Is this about a guy?” 

“Uhhh, yeah. Kinda,” Dee says glancing between Ingrid and the current girl on the ice. 

“Is he cute?” she asks. 

“Uhhh, yeah. Kinda,” Dee repeats. 

“If you’re confused over this guy, maybe you just need to sleep with him,” Ingrid suggests. 

The music ends as the girl on the ice finishes her routine. She bows then glides off while the judges write and discuss. One in the center stands, “Deandra Reynolds.” 

Dee takes a deep breath, pulls the laces on her skates a little tighter, and enters the ice. 

*** 

“Good job out there,” Dee hears as she shoves a stack of papers in her bag. 

“Thanks,” she says. 

“Did you win?” Charlie asks. 

“It doesn’t work like that,” Dee explains, slightly irritated. “It’s like I told you at the bar-.” 

“Oh, right,” Charlie glances to the ground, looking embarrassed. 

It makes Dee feel a little bad. “But, yeah I guess. I’m moving on to the next round.” 

“That’s great,” he smiles, happily. 

Dee nods, the awkwardness dissolving and being replaced by a feeling of pride. “Thanks,” she smiles. 

Neither says anything for a moment. “So… about the bar. Or, what we did then,” Charlie starts. “You know, the kissing,” he clarifies. 

Dee tenses, her guard rising. “Yeah. I remember. It’s fine. Things happen. It doesn’t have to mean anything,” she states. “You have your precious concession girl anyway. I don’t want to ruin that for you. I heard you’re hanging out with her,” she adds. Dee catches herself from explaining who she heard it from, stopping from saying she’d gone looking for him. 

“I haven’t seen her in a while, actually,” Charlie confesses. “Been busy, y’know? With, stuff. And… things,” he adds, unconvincingly. He’s not going to admit that he’s mostly been thinking about Dee, or that the object of his affection is gradually losing that title. 

_Oh_ , Dee is pleasantly surprised. 

“But if you wanted to do something sometime. That’d be okay,” Charlie says, and Dee picks up on a hint of hopefulness in his voice. 

Dee pulls a pen from her bag, grabbing Charlie by the arm and writing her number across his forearm just like the cool girls in movies. “Call me,” she says, before walking away. 

*** 

After announcing her qualifying, Artemis invites Dee out to celebrate. After a lot of convincing and negotiating, they settled on The Bleu Martini, a slightly upscale club. 

Artemis explains the latest play she did, fully nude this time, and how incredible it was. Dee had thought about being an actress, too; Mostly when she was little, starring in movies and on Broadway. Getting to be someone else for a while, showered in praise and attention. But it never happened. That’s okay, though, with skating she still has to be her, but she gets medals for it. 

The conversations transforms into Dee’s life, and the guy Dee had told Artemis about months ago. She explains how they always manage to bump into each other, how he ruined her date and how they ended up making out and now might have a sort of date. 

“You two just gotta bang it out,” Artemis says, popping a mushroom cap in her mouth. 

_Why do people keep suggesting that??_ “That’s the opposite of what I need,” Dee sighs, chewing on a breadstick, a last treat before going on a strict training diet. “Kissing him made things weird. Sex is going to be even worse.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong, sweet innocent girl,” Artemis corrects, almost condescending. “Release some of that tension.” 

*** 

It feels like Dee hasn’t done anything but sleep and train for the past week. She’s got one more event in Harrisburg next week, then all the winners are off to New York for the U.S. finals. After weeding a few out, she might be off to nationals in Paris! 

Things are looking good. Things are feeling normal with Charlie and with barely being at the apartment, she hasn’t seen her brother in almost a week. Maybe it’s a sign that she can have nice things. Dee enters the rink, popping in her AirPods and preparing for the first go of the day at her routine. Having something nice in her life is a great motivator, and Dee plays through, fueled extra hard by happiness and determination. 

30 seconds in and it changes. She swears she sees her brother’s face, silently watching her from the stands. The surprise is enough to throw her off balance, and crashing onto the ice. The jackass starts towards her, slow clapping with a know-it-all smirk on his face. “Nice one, sis.” 

Dee gets to her feet, “Fuck you, Dennis.” 

“Don’t take it out on me, just because you biffed it.” 

She gets over to the wall to meet him. “What do you want? I’m busy.” 

“I heard you made the first cut and didn’t tell me.” 

“I did. And I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your goddamn business.” 

“Always with the language,” Dennis criticizes, obnoxiously shaking his head in disapproval. 

“It’s nothing, okay?” Dee says. “Just a little thing in Harrisburg next week. Then after that you can go back to intervening in my life and thinking you matter in it.” She leaves him on those words, gliding off to return to her practice. 

*** 

It’s only a few hours later, when Charlie makes good on his offer. Dee is soaking in a hot bath, before an early night followed by an early morning. Without opening her eyes, Dee feels around for her phone, then answers it. “What?” 

“Hey,” a voice greets cheerily. Then an uncertain, “This is Dee, right?” 

There’s only one person who’d respond like that. “Hi, Charlie.” 

“Are you busy?” he asks. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink.” 

“Right now?” Dee asks, straightening up. “Shit, I can’t. I’m doing a muscle soak then bed. I’ve got to be up early tomorrow.” Competition time kills her social life, but it’s usually worth it. 

“Oh, right. Cool. Cool,” he tries to hide disappointment, but Dee still picks up on it. 

“Yeah, though,” Dee says, “After this is done. Sure.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't disappointing. I feel so all over the place with this thing. It's planned but I didn't realize how many details I hadn't planned.
> 
> Anyway-  
> -I couldn't figure out much on if ice skaters take ice baths or hot ones, usually with epsom salt, for muscles. I did learn they shouldn't swim because it has the opposite effect on muscles than training.  
> -The type of place The Bleu Martini is on the show changes, so it will here too :)
> 
> I hate the formatting on this. Looks great under edit, but then decides to add random spaces. sorry.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. The gang goes to NY, Dee competes, and we find out how it goes for Charlie and Dee.
> 
> Spoiler and Warning that there is a bit of a smut scene between "there's only one bed" and breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its here! That took forever, sorry. Blame it on school, getting distracted by other fics and honestly, just kind of forgetting.

It’s been a few days since they talked on the phone, and Dee is starting to feel bad about it. Charlie is actually making an effort for her and she keeps having to blow him off ; It’s not often a  guy is genuinely interested in her.

The  pressure o f the upcoming competition is getting to her, and she could really use a break.  Lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, Dee decides to do something.  Dee calls Charlie and he picks up on the third ring. “ Yello ,” his voice is a little muffled, like he’s talking too close to the phone. 

Dee rolls her eyes at his way of answering. “Hey,” she greets, then curiously adds a casual “what’s up?”

“Workin’,” Charlie answers. There’s a bit of rustling on his end as he moves the phone cradled on his shoulder to his hand. His voice becomes clear, “Frank’s got me cleaning this place today, shining toilets, changing urinal cakes. I’m sweeping up after the drunks right now.”

_ Eww.  _ She pushes the image of dirty bar bathrooms , and that the guy she kind of likes works in them, out of her mind.  " When are you off?  Wanna get lunch?”

“I can go now,” Charlie tells her.  He pulls the phone away from his mouth, but Dee can still hear him shout, “ Hey, Frank, I’m out.”

***

They meet at a  diner off the highway a few hours later. It’s empty and quiet this time of day, almost giving off the feeling of having the place to themselves.  It’s Dee’s favorite place to eat, but her  arrogant brother puts  it down, thinking he’s above diners. She feels a little vulnerable,  suggesting it to Charlie, but he seems  low maintenance. 

“This is a nice place,” Charlie tells her. He looks around. “The windows are so clean ,” he says, impressed, “They just won’t do that at Paddy’s.”

“Yeah,” Dee nods, humoring him.  “Have you decided what you want?”

“That’s another thing,” he says, excitedly , looking from the menu to her . “ The menus have pictures. I like that.”

Dee watches him with interest. There’s been rumors flying around that one of the hockey guys couldn’t read, but Dee never believed  it , thinking it was just  nonsense about sports injuries or dumb jocks. It being Charlie definitely fits. 

“Yeah,” she smiles encouragingly, “Makes it easier.”

They place their orders and Dee tells Charlie about Harrisburg and attaining more awards. 

“So, you’re doing a championship thing?” Charlie asks. “How many rounds are there?”

“It depends on how far you get. Five if you go all the way. Qualifying, then local competitions, winners go to their capitols, then New York and finally Paris.”

“New York? As in where the baseball hall of fame is?” Charlie asks excitedly.

“ Uh, yeah, I guess,” Dee  answers ,  oblivious to his intentions. 

“ Mac and me always talked about going sometime,” Charlie tells her. “But we never thought we’d go. Mac really wanted to go with his dad, but his dad’s been in prison forever, and I don’t think he really even likes him,” he rambles. 

They seem to have the same idea, with differing opinions. 

Charlie grins, eyes lighting up, “ Heyyyyy .” Just as Dee shakes her head, “ Nooooo .”

***

“This is so stupid,” Dee  mutters  a bout a week later  as she stares out the window of her brother’s  vehicle.  “This was supposed to be my weekend  away, and now  half of Philly is following me,” Dee  complains in her normal tone. 

“As your manager-,” Dennis holds up a hand to stop Dee’s arguing, “it’s my duty to come.  You let your boy toy and his idiot  friends nose their way in. 

“He’s not my boy toy,” Dee corrects .  “He’s coming to see that baseball shit that’s there, with his asshole friend. Who brought his boyfriend,  without asking .”

“Yeah, well don’t let this dumb jock get in the way of our success,” Dennis grumbles.

They ride in relative silence until the GPS instructs a right turn and announces they have arrived at their destination. Dennis parks, and the pair gather their suitcases and enter the hotel. There’s slight commotion behind the twins as they check in- a clear sign the rest of their party has arrived. Dennis snatches his room’s keycard, takes a disgusted look at the other three guys and saunters towards the elevators.

Mac pushes his way up to the counter, nearly knocking Dee out of the way. She makes a noise of disgust and leaves. “Room for Mac,” he tells the counter jockey. She types then looks up at him.

“Sorry, sir, we have nothing under that name. Is there another I can try?”

“Ronald McDonald,” Charlie chimes in with a snigger. 

The woman gives him an annoyed look, clearly not believing the name. A moment later the computer chimes, “Ah, there we are.” She gives Mac two cards and tells him the room number. He passes one to Rex.

“Where’s mine?” Charlie asks, tapping Mac on the elbow. 

“Yeah, buddy,” Mac says gently, “About that. Since Rex is joining us, I thought we could make it a couple's thing.  Soooo ... I swapped two beds. For one.”

“So, you’re just kicking me out?!” Charlie shouts.

“You’ll be okay, buddy. You’re a survivor, you’ll figure something out,” Mac pats him on the shoulder before he and Rex disappear. 

\---

A knocking on the door interrupts TV and Dee’s attempt to relax. She groans , then gets up and  opens the door. Charlie stands there with a worn backpack slung over his shoulder. “I need somewhere to sleep ,” he says. Dee continues silently staring at him, a prompt to continue. “I was gonna share with Mac, but he kicked  me out to bring Rex,” he explains. 

“We’re in a hotel. Find a spot,” Dee says.

“ I, uh, I don’t really have hotel money,” Charlie  explains, glancing to the floor with reddening cheeks. “ Can I share with you?” he asks. 

“What? No,” Dee says. “I only have one bed.” 

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Charlie offers. “C’mon, Dee. It’s this or sleeping in the hall. And there’s some weirdos out there.” He looks pathetic, like a puppy who got left outside. “I’ve been in the lobby all day, but they won’t let me sleep there.”

Dee sighs, stepping back and opening the door wider. “Fine. But you’re  really  sleeping on the floor.”

Charlie smiles widely. He claps his hands in celebration, rubbing them together as he enters the room. He  clasps her on the shoulder, “Thanks, Dee.”

She  stands and  watches as he drops his bag, then looks around the room taking in his surroundings. Dee catches  as  Charlie ’s eyes land, staring directly and unashamed at her chest. 

She crosses her arms, defensively. “Stop staring at my tits,” Dee commands. 

Charlie blinks back into focus , grinning . “I wasn’t. I like your shirt.  Thundergun is badass. I didn’t know girls liked action movies . Maybe we can watch it sometime.”

She glances down at her outfit,  having forgot what she’s wearing - a worn , grey men’s graphic tee, with the  Thundergun logo displayed across the front , paired with pink cotton shorts and white & pink knee-high socks. It felt cute when she was alone, but feels mismatched and exposed now.

“It’s a love story, too ,” Dee says , awkwardly . “I like those.”

\---

Dee fights the urge to look over the edge of the bed. She knows she’s going to regret it.  _ Goddamn,  _ she’s weak. She sits up, peering down at Charlie. He’s on the floor, with only a pillow and thin blanket. It’s a sad sight, but not as sad as how content he is. She drops onto her back. “Charlie,” she says. 

“Yeah?”

“Come up here,” she says. “You’re making me feel bad.”

“I’m okay.  The floor’s not that bad .”

“I’m not gonna sleep knowing you’re on that nasty floor like a dog. C’mon,” she nods, patting the empty spot next to her.

It only takes seconds before he’s lying inches from her. Charlie fluffs his pillow and sighs in contentment. “This is nice,” he says. 

“Yeah, just keep your distance. This doesn’t mean anything.”

***

Dee gasps as Charlie  rocks into her , slow and precise , drawing her closer and closer to the edge.  He exhales  breathily  with  each push forward,  lighting up every nerve in her body.  Charlie’s lips meet her neck ,  mindlessly dragging  kisses  along her ja w.  Dee’s head  turns, allowing him more access  to her hot skin.  Her legs wrap tighter around Charlie’s waist,  keeping him deep in her as her hips lif t and roll against his. 

When she squeezes around him, Charlie lets out a  soft  whimper  that’s incredibly needy and hot. Dee’s eyes squeeze shut as every muscle in her body tightens , reaching the peak , readying for that wonderful release. 

Dee wakes with a  shout .  She looks around in panic;  They’re both in bed, fully dressed. Charlie is  to her left,  snoring  lightly with his face pressed into the pillow , facing away from her. 

It was just a dream.  _ Thank God.  _

_ Oh Shit _ . She had a sex dream about Charlie.  A too realistic one at that. 

Dee rubs her palms against her eyes, forcing the  lingering images out of her mind . She sits with her legs over  the edge of the bed , fully regaining consciousness . Her heart is  still pounding and legs feel a little weak. She goes into the bathroom for a shower, hoping to wash the  memory and sweat away. But the thought of being naked , with Charlie just feet away is too much. Instead, she splashes some water on her face then puts on a hoodie, steps in some flip-flops and heads downstairs for breakfast.  She’ll let him sleep, then grab a shower when he leaves the room to eat.

Dee’s waiting on her toast, when she feels  someone close. Charlie is directly behind her, his shorter frame  pressed against her back as he reaches in front of her. 

“Oh h, muffins,” his breath is hot on her neck. Dee shivers and tries not to shove him away. He grabs one and steps back . He inspects it, then shoves it in Dee’s vision. “Think this is chocolate chip?” he asks. 

“I don’t know, Charlie,” Dee snaps , forcefully snatching her toast from the toaster and applying a thin layer of butter. 

He pulls off a chunk, popping it in his mouth.  He chews, considering. “Yep,” Charlie confirms,  shoving another piece in with the half chewed contents in his mouth. 

Well, that definitely helps kill any remaining sexual thoughts Dee was having. 

He follows Dee along the breakfast line , loading his plate with bacon,  whil e she carefully scoops some scrambled eggs from the hot hold tray.  Charlie scoops some eggs into his pile, then drops a donut on top, too. 

She sits at an empty table, and Charlie pulls out the chair across from her.  Dee tells herself it doesn’t have to be weird, they’ve eaten together before.  She’s expecting him to start some weird conversation, encroaching in on her time and thoughts, but instead he digs into his breakfast, enthusiastically. The only thing he takes time to say is, “This is good,” when his plate is half empty.

***

After her awkward dream and forced breakfast with Charlie, Dee is grateful for her shower. She stands under the hot stream of water, self-pitying that her rare chance at success is hampered by confusing feelings for this enticingly irritating guy. Realizing that her alone time is almost over, and that Charlie will probably be returning to  her room soon , she steps out . 

Dee is dressed in  leggings and  a tank top,  braiding her  hair in the bathroom mirror when Charlie returns . 

“What’s up today?” Charlie asks, leaning against the doorframe. “Mac’s blowing me off again, and I don’t know if you noticed, but your brother is kind of an asshole.”

_ Yeah. She’s noticed _ . 

“I’m practicing today,”  Dee tells him, impatiently. “ I just have today and tomorrow to be ready.”

“Oh,” Charlie sounds a little disappointed. “Cool, cool. Sounds good.”

—-

Entering the rink, Dee realizes she hadn’t met her competition yet.  Other competitors stand in small groups, talking excitedly.  She feels a little left out, but shoves it down.  She’d just feel out of place with them anyway. 

Dee laces her skates and enters the ice, while Charlie disappears to  check out the building , somehow amazed a s if he’s never been in a rink before. 

She goes through her routine , slower than normal , focusing on doing everything perfectly; Once she has every move 100% down, she’ll pick up the speed.  Dee holds her final pose, counting in her head  _ one, two, three _ ,  before  going back to normal. 

She’s feeling confident and ready for the real thing.  She catches sight of Charlie  in the stands, watching her;  Having someone there supporting her is strange but pleasant. 

Dee starts again,  confident and  smooth , gliding and moving on instinct.  A basic jump doesn’t go well this time. Dee  hits the ice when she  lands,  one leg straight out with another at an awkward angle.  Her palms lay flat, catching herself from falling backwards.  A few other skaters stop to watch in concern as Charlie runs out to Dee.  “You okay?” he asks. 

Once the shock wears off, she feels embarrassed and angry. “I’m fine,” Dee  snaps , pushing herself up and ignoring Charlie’s  offer of help. “We’ve all fell before.”

He nods, heart pounding.  He didn’t like seeing her potentially hurt.  It’s like the time Concession-stand Girl  got her wisdom teeth removed and missed a week of work.  He wanted to protect her, chew her food for her and  brush her hair.  Seeing Dee potentially injured elicits that feeling of protectiveness, the desire to carry off the ice and bring her a hot chocolate. 

***

“ You need to do something fun  tomorrow ,” Charlie  tells her that evening . 

“I need to prepare for  Friday ,” Dee corrects. 

Charlie ’s invited himself to stay with Dee for the rest of the trip.  Which, she really should’ve seen coming.  He sits on the bed, leaning on the headboard while Dee stretches on  a yoga mat on  the floor. 

“You did a lot of practicing,” Charlie  disagrees , “ You’re  gonna gets the Yips.” When Dee raises an eyebrow, Charlie clarifies, “It’s a thing where you get in your head and get bad at something you’re good at. It’s a baseball thing.”

Dee chews on her lip, considering. She did biff it pretty bad today, she can’t risk doing that at the real thing, or get  seriously  hurt practicing before that. “Okay,” Dee agrees, “But we’re not going to your dumb hall of fame. I don’t give a sh it about baseball- unless it’s the Phillies.”

Charlie squints,  Cooperstown was his goal. But there’s a part of him who just wants to spend time with Dee. “ Deal,” he leans over the edge of the bed, extending  his hand f or Dee to shake. 

***

“Oh, man, Cooperstown,” Mac says excitedly when  he and Rex arrive. “ I’ve been wanting to come here since I was a kid.”

“Well, you made it, man,” Rex  says, giving Mac a kiss on the cheek. 

Mac blushes then  moves away, looking around wildly. “Not here,  man , there’s  a lot of  tough dudes here.”

Rex  sighs, “Fine.” He’s  becoming  more annoyed with Mac every day. He loves having a boyfriend who’ll spend all day at the gym with him,  but  fitness and guy stuff is all he seems to care about.  This thing is feeling less and less like a relationship. 

\----

Dee finishes tying her shoes as she speaks, “Both places are really close. Google says it’s like a fifteen minute walk. We’ll do mine first then yours.”

“What? Why? It was my idea!” Charlie shouts. 

“We’re here because of me,” Dee tells him firmly, arms crossed. 

“It was  _ my  _ idea to have fun today. You’d just be practicing or... or some boring girl shit all day.”

“Okay, then. I’ll go to Central Park. You go to Times Square. Alone. That way we both get what we want.”

Charlie’s eyes widen in panic. “No, the point is we do stuff together. It’s more fun.” From all he’s learned, Dee’s not the type to back down, so he relents. “Fine ,” he pouts. 

“Great,” Dee says cheerily, “Let’s go.”

\----

“What do you want to do at a stupid park, anyway?” Charlie asks as they walk through the city. 

“Do you not know what Central Park is? It’s where they filmed the opening to Friends. It’s like TV history.” When he doesn’t look impressed, Dee adds “There’s a zoo there, too.” That definitely piques his interest. 

They arrive at the park, admiring the beauty of nature in the middle of the bustling city. “There’s a lot of weirdos here,” Charlie observes as he watches various tourists and New Yorkers milling around. Dee gives him a look.  _ Does he not realize that he’s a weirdo?  _

“Look! There it is,” Dee shouts excitedly, grabbing Charlie’s forearm. His eyes follow where she’s pointing to a fountain surrounded by people taking pictures. She takes off running, and Charlie follows. When they reach the fountain, Dee shoulders her way to the front. “Take my picture,” she tells Charlie, passing him her phone. He does so, as she smiles widely striking a pose. 

She moves to stand next to him, inspecting the photo. Charlie laughs and when Dee gives him a dirty look, he explains, “It’s cute.” The pair share an awkward moment, before Dee pulls him back over with her. 

“You’re taking one with me,” she explains. “So, I don’t look like a loser who came here alone.” Dee wraps an arm around Charlie pulling him into frame. He leans close, resting his head against hers, and wrapping his arm around her back, hand resting on her waist. Dee holds her phone above their heads as they smile up at the camera for their picture . She  lowers her phone then  taps  on it a  few times ,  then holds it out for Charlie to see- there they are, touching and smiling together on her Instagram for all to see. 

“Alright,” Dee says shoving her phone in the back pocket of her jean shorts. “You wanna check out the zoo? Or go to Times Square?”

“Already?” Charlie asks. They just got there, and their plans are halfway over. 

“Yeah, we did my thing. It’s your turn.”

“The zoo sounds fun,” Charlie grins.

“Let’s go,” Dee grins back.

\----

“Look!” Mac excl aims. “Mike Schmidt.  Phillie’s third baseman  _ Miiike _ __ _ Schmii _ _ idt _ _! _ ” he  calls in his announcer voice. “Some douchebag at the mall a couple years ago didn’t even know who  he was. Can you believe that? Living in Philly and not knowing who Mike Schmidt is.”

“Ha! Look,”  Mac hurries forward , not waiting on an answer . “Only two Mets got in here. ‘Cause they  suck.” He stops in front of the plaques. “ Boooo ,” he hisses giving the thumbs down. 

He notice s Rex isn’t  having fun . “What’s wrong? You love baseball,” Mac says. 

“Actually, man, I don’t.  And that’s fin e.  But you don’t  know anything about me. I’m just like your arm candy .”

“What’s wrong with that? I have a beefcake.”

“Mac,” Rex sighs. “I don’t think this is working out.”

“What?”

“ We have fun, but I just think we’re too different.”

“ Different? We’re both hardbodies,” Mac exclaims. 

“And that’s it, man. You  only seem to care about physiques .  You don’t want a real  relationship.” And he walks away. 

\---

Dee pays for the tickets, explaining that she gets a per diem so it’s technically the coach or competition or whoever paying. Charlie thanks her sheepishly anyway.

They wander through the exhibits, spending extra time at the big cats and large birds. Charlie spouts off facts about them, while watching in awe at the animals’ behavior. Charlie’s excitement over their surround ings makes Dee the most excited she’s been at the zoo, even compared to when she was a kid. Charlie takes pictures of almost everything, even the pigeons walking around. “They don’t belong here,” Charlie laughs as he explains his excitement to Dee, “They’re just  regular birds , but they don’t know it.” Dee grins, then laughs with him. It is pretty funny.

“We’ve almost seen everything,” Dee says, looking up from the map. “There’s just like zebras and shit left.” They head towards the final destination, a large deck overlooking a large grassy field. The pair finds an open binoculars stand, and Dee steps up on the ledge looking over the land.  She climbs up a little higher, definitely breaking some rule , leaning for a better view of the animals without putting quarters in the binoculars. 

Charlie finds himself enjoying a v iew, too , checking out her butt  as Dee  stands on the ledge. 

She looks down, noticing he’s not looking with her.  Dee reaches down, pulling  him to climb up with her. 

\----

They arrive at Times Square ,  taking in all the lights and colors and sound. They stop to watch  the famous billboards , people bumping into them as they stare up at the changing pictures. 

They separate as Dee wanders off to admire the Broadway signs, while Charlie meets Iron Man and other characters. 

Dee peels her attention from  the Broadway signs when  she hears a commotion a few feet behind her .  _ Shit!  _ Charlie appears to be in an argument with a knock off  Elmo.  Charlie pushes the character, who  then  apparently says something  he doesn’t like. Charlie lets out a shriek and  leaps on the Elmo, knocking him to the ground.  The Elmo withers under Charlie, trying to throw the small man off , but he holds strong, staying on Elmo’s chest and punching the character. 

Dee comes running ove r to discover the cause of the commotion.  “What the hell, Charlie?!” she shrieks. 

“Stay out of this, bitch,” the character calls. Which was the wrong thing to say. Dee begins kicking him, while Charlie attempts to wrestle off the man’s giant head. 

A crowd forms, watching the spectacle. Some take pictures, thrilled at the show while others look terrified as if they’ve never seen a fight before. Knock-off Cookie Monster and Hello Kitty  appear; Cookie Monster attempts to pull Charlie off, while Hello Kitty  tries to grab Dee. 

A few men from the crowd join in,  trying to take Cookie Monster down, while a small group of women go after Hello Kitty. 

“Cops!” someone yells and the crowd breaks  apart quickly. 

Dee yanks Charlie up by the neck of his t-shirt  and the pair take off, sprinting through the crowd and don’t stop running until they burst into the hotel’s doors, grateful that they’re both in good shape from their respective sports. 

Dee repeatedly presses the  _ up _ button on the  elevator, causing the lobby attendant to glare at them. “That’s not going to help.”  Just then , the doors slide open, and the pair  dive inside . “I think it does,” Dee calls. 

She and Charlie lean against the walls , catching their breath as  the room moves upwards. 

“That was fun today. Thanks,” Dee tells him as th ey arrive on their floor.  A sly smile forms on her face.

Charlie  blushes and  shrugs,  trying to look casual. “Anytime.”

***

The three guys meet in the hotel lobby the morning of the competition.  Dee’s already left early that morning, on a bus with all the other competitors. 

“Where’s Rex?” Charlie asks when  Mac appears, alone. 

“He left yesterday. We broke  up. He said we were too different.”

“Oh,” Charlie says awkwardly. “Sorry, man.”

Mac looks to Dennis, “Since he was our ride. Looks like we’ll be going home with you,” he points between himself and Charlie. 

Dennis rolls his eyes and starts towards the parking lot, muttering about his  sister ’s poor choices . 

—-

The comp etition arrives , and Dee  looks around at  the other girls as the announcers yammer on.  There’s a few girls her age, but most are younger, still in their teens. These  girls, who are younger and already this  far in competition makes Dee feel like maybe she doesn’t belong here. 

“Nervous?”

Dee nods, looking to her right. Ingrid is sitting next to her on the  bench, the only other one from her team to make it here. “You?”

“Yeah,” Ingrid admits. “But I do this for fun so I’m just happy to be here .” She waves to the audience. “It helps that  my family is here supporting me.  They’re proud no matter how I do today.” Dee follows her  eyeline , as Ingrid continues “There’s my parents, and  two  sisters here. My boyfriend couldn’t make it, but they said they’ll FaceTime him when it’s my turn. Who’s here with you?”

Dee realizes she never told her parents about  today.  Not that either would’ve been there anyway , her  mother never supporting her and her father more concerned with his charities .  “My  brother, uh-,” she’s not really sure how to explain  her unusual gathering of guests. 

Ingrid speaks  before Dee has to explain. “Is that the hockey guy? ” she grins, playfully bumping Dee’s shoulder then winking at her. 

Dee’s cheeks heat with embarrassment, but before she can think too much into it, the national anthem begins and they all stand. 

—-

A woman with a headset and clipboard gently touches Dee’s shoulder. “You’re up next, Sweetie. Follow me.”

She leads Dee to a small area near the announcers.  She watches the girl before her finish her turn, graceful and confident. The crowd cheers when she finishes and bows. She passes Dee , still grinning wide and proud. “Good luck”

Dee represses a nervous gag, looking at the hundreds of people in the  stands.  It then hits her, of the three guys there with her, Charlie may actually be the only one there  _ for her _ . 

“Competing next, from Philadelphia  Pennsylvania. Number eleven-  Deandra Reynolds.” Another clipboard woman nods, and Dee skates out to the  center of the ice, holding her pose until the music begins. 

Up in the crowd, Dennis, Mac and Charlie watch.  Dennis holds a notepad, recording little comments and  criticisms, tallying up a score of his own.  Mac looks just interested enough to not leave,  but still fidgets and tries to talk to Charlie, who’s wordlessly watching Dee in amazement. 

She  leaps through the air, graceful and birdlike then lands and  spins  in tight little circles,  turning into a blur .  Charlie briefly breaks his focus to look around at the crowd.  _ Is  _ _ anyone  _ _ else  _ _ appreciating the perfection that  _ _ is this woman? _

His eyes linger on her  long, strong legs, then  on her ass again, this time  only covered by the  fitted material of her blue  dress. 

***

Dee awaits nervously among the small group of competitors.  The results are being calculated, then  winners are announced.  Scores are averaged, then the top three move on. She did good, with  her lowest score being an 8, but even  with  the 9s and 10s, it still might not be enough. 

All the commotion and chatter d ie down when the announcer takes his place at the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen , our winners have been decided. We would like to congratulate all competitors, but get three figure skaters representing the United States in Paris are,  Mira Lee , Kaitlin  Oakland, and  Deandra Reynolds.”

“Holy shit,” Dee gasps. She looks into the crowd, to see the reactions of her group .  Before she can process what’s happening, Charlie is  running towards her , pushing through the crowd . His arms wrap around her, pulling her into a kiss. She kisses back immediately, wrapping one arm around his neck while a hand grips the back of his hair. His hands slide across her body, and  wrap around her waist . They’re full on making out in front of hundreds of people as if they’re the only two in the stadium, and neither cares. 

Dee knows right then that she wants to do this forever. Sharing kisses, bodies, celebrations. Everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. Hope it wasn't too disappointing. I realized that this whole fic wasn't planned as well as I thought, so the quality took a sharp decline. Thanks for sticking with me through it.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little scene I thought of that I like but didn't really want to be an official part of the story

“Be careful, asshole!,” Dee shouts. A few people turn to give disapproving looks, but Dee pays them no mind. It’s a regular occurrence in her life, and she’s only focused on her target.  Charlie looks back at her, with a smile that’s as aggravating as it is cute. He turns back, bending slightly to whisper something to the two tiny people he’s pulling  with him, clinging tightly to the horizontal hockey stick in his hands. They both laugh, looking even more delighted.

She shouldn’t be worried. Both their parents are pro skaters, it’s in their blood to be on the ice. But, carrying two babies for almost 9 months, then delivering them is enough to make one super protective- she's not letting that go to waste because  their idio t father  dropped them. Oh, and she loves them and all that crap. 

The pregnancy was a surprise.  It being twins was an eve n bigger surprise. But three years la ter, Dee has a son and a daughter , and it feels normal.  One boy and one girl, both with their mother’s blue eyes and father’s dark hair (that gets somehow messier when their  winter hats come off).

They’ve only had a handful of adventures out on the  ice, ever since Charlie got them each a pair of skates for their recent third birthday.  It was hard to tell which of the three was most excited to try them out. 

Her life changed so much since meeting Charlie. She only skates for fun now, out on the ice briefly free from the responsibilities of life. Her time in bars now is for work, waitressing at the dive bar Charlie is now partial owner of; He’ll be the full owner when Frank up and croaks from his chaotic lifestyle. She doesn’t live with her brother anymore, either. In fact, shortly after she and Charlie got a place together, Dennis roomed up with Mac living in their weird little limbo. 

She's happy, though, having three people who love her unconditionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no set time later or whether they get married. Decide what you like best :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. One click on that kudos button, and comments are nice, too!


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